


For You And I

by ToriWritesStories



Series: What A Time For You And I... [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - High School, And Cheryl has a crush on her best friend, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Endgame Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Happy Ending, High School, Northside Southside Drama, Relationship Advice, Rewrite, Secret Lovers, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Southside Serpent, Southside Serpent Toni Topaz, Toni Point Of View, Toni Topaz meets Cheryl Blossom, WHAT A TIME
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 127,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29191401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToriWritesStories/pseuds/ToriWritesStories
Summary: Toni Topaz has never had any reason to mingle with many Northsiders, but when she meets the fiery Cheryl Blossom at the White Wyrm, she notices that this closed off Northsider seems to have a secret. What starts out as Toni calling out the Northsider for her longing stares at the blonde across the bar turns into Toni starting to fall for a girl who is clearly pining after someone else.AKA: The Toni POV version of "What A Time" <3
Relationships: Cheryl Blossom & Heather (Riverdale), Cheryl Blossom & Toni Topaz, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz
Series: What A Time For You And I... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121750
Comments: 193
Kudos: 151





	1. you think about it sometimes

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooo everyone! Happy Wednesday night! (Maybe it's not really happy, I haven't seen the new Riverdale yet ._.)  
> But I'm about to (hopefully) make it a little happier! :D
> 
> Welcome to the Toni Point of View of What A Time! I wrote What A Time about a year ago now, and received so much support for it! It was the biggest thing I'd written in years, and as I was writing it, I had so many ideas of how I'd like to write Toni's POV of the same scenes, or the other side of some of the drama. So... I decided to rewrite the whole thing, and it only took me like, 9 months!
> 
> A few disclaimers in regards to that:  
> \- I actually did take 9 months to write this because I kept leaving and coming back to it. Therefore, there's a chance that some of it is a bit choppy. I'm going to try my hardest to ensure that I didn't leave any big plot holes or anything. If you notice anything, feel free to mention it.  
> \- This story is only 22 chapters compared to What A Time's 30, but this story is still 127,000 words, so it's not short by any means! The first few chapters are a bit shorter, but they get loooong, I swear!  
> \- I didn't change ANY plot in this version. I did add some plot (including new Choni scenes!), but I didn't change anything that happened in What A Time, even if I think I could've done better after the fact, I wanted to keep it all the same.
> 
> Lastly, before we continue, I just want to say that you don't *need* to have read What A Time to read this, but I would highly recommend it. That said, if you've read What A Time, you don't really need to go back and re-read it before reading this <3
> 
> And without further ado, enjoy the first chapter! (and my apologies for it being a bit short, you can be angry at 9 months ago Tori, but don't be mad at present time Tori <3)  
> xx

Toni Topaz was feeling exhausted. She’d been working all afternoon and into the evening after a long day at school. Her teachers had all been ramping up the difficulty of classes, since it was the end of their junior year of high school, but Toni was one of the few people actually trying to keep up with the intense curriculum. She didn’t know why her teachers even tried with everyone else.

After school, she’d headed straight to the White Wyrm, which was decently busy for a weeknight. Some Southside High kids were filling up the bar and using the pool tables—some sort of party. It was mostly senior guys, including some Serpents. Besides them, the weeknight regulars were also sitting along the bar. Toni had gotten off work a little while ago, and she was taking a smoke break in the corner of the bar, sitting on one of the empty tabletops. Normally, she would go outside to smoke, but it wasn’t busy enough that she felt it warranted going through all that effort. Plus, the spring air was still too chilly to be completely comfortable, even with her Serpent jacket snug against her body.

She took a drag from her joint, letting the smoke fill her throat before letting it out slowly. Normally, she wouldn’t smoke so much weed on a weeknight, but it’d been a long day, and there’d just been a good shipment smuggled into Riverdale for selling the previous weekend. Such a good shipment, that Toni had been able to get her hands on it without having to spend too much money.

Suddenly, the bar door swung open, and Sweet Pea and Fangs came into the bar. They didn’t seem to notice Toni as they went up to the bar, and Toni straightened up a little. She’d have one more hit, she decided, and then go over to her friends—maybe some social interaction would help to calm her down after such a stressful day.

As she brought the joint back to her lips, the door swung open again, and two girls, both wearing heels and expensive looking outfits, stalked into the bar. One of them had long, blonde hair, and the other had even longer, wavy and fiery red hair. Both of them had full faces of makeup, and their looks just screamed _rich_. Northsiders.

Toni narrowed her eyes at them. What would some Northsiders be doing here, at the White Wyrm? Had they been invited to the Southside High party? And if they had, how did any Southsiders know them? They didn’t look like they would run in any group that interacted with Southsiders.

Toni lowered her joint, keeping her eyes on the girls and watching them order a couple of beers and chat for a minute, and then the blonde began scoping out all of the high school guys over by the pool tables, and the redhead looked around too, although clearly less interested.

She sat there staring at them for longer than she’d care to admit, but she was genuinely curious about why any Northsiders—besides Betty Cooper—would ever be at the Wyrm. Eventually, the blonde began strutting over to some Serpents—Cody, Zack, Mason, and Nick. The four Serpents who were high school seniors. She went up to Cody and began flipping her hair over her shoulder, batting her eyelashes, and Toni found herself rolling her eyes. The blonde was oozing desperation.

The redhead suddenly departed from the bar as well, but instead of following the blonde, she instead headed toward where Toni was seated. The girl didn’t seem to notice Toni, though, as she sat on the bench of one of the other empty tables, her eyes trained on the blonde. It was obvious that she hadn’t wanted to come to the bar—maybe she had a boyfriend already and was just trying to get her friend a hookup?

Toni couldn’t help but be curious, and she couldn’t keep her eyes off of the redheaded Northsider. She watched her watch the blonde, and then she watched those plump, red lips turn into a frown, as her dark eyes _really_ looked at that other girl, and Toni realized. The redhead wasn’t just keeping busy or watching out for her friend—no, Toni recognized that sort of look.

Smirking proudly at her discovery, she brought her joint back to her lips finally and took another hit, feeling like she’d earned it. When she blew the smoke out, some of it moved over to the redhead, who coughed suddenly. Toni felt bad for a moment, until the redhead turned around, and those dark eyes landed on her. Toni felt her heart stop for a moment, breath caught in her throat, and she found herself immediately turning her gaze to her phone, which was in her hand that wasn’t holding her joint. She pretended not to notice the Northsider, although she could feel the glare being sent her way.

“Do you mind?” she heard the girl snap, and Toni looked up in surprise—she really hadn’t expected the girl to say anything, but Northsiders were always full of surprises. It was times like these that Toni remembered how Northsiders were—they came to places where they didn’t belong, and expected everyone and everything to somehow adjust and fit into their predefined expectations. The redhead nodded pointedly at the joint in Toni’s hand, and Toni set her jaw, rolling her eyes, and bringing her joint up for another hit. She stared directly at the redhead as she blew out the smoke.

“You know that’s bad for you,” the girl scolded, and Toni narrowed her eyes.

“What? Weed?” she demanded.

The girl huffed in frustration. “No,” she said. “Smoking.”

It was a fair point, but Toni wasn’t going to give any sort of verbal acknowledgement of that. “Yeah well,” she said, “a lot of things are bad for you.” She sat up a little straighter, and the redhead sighed, scooting down the bench a little to be out of Toni’s path of smoke. Toni was surprised that this girl, who had seemed so outspoken, had given up already. But then she noticed her gaze, set back on the blonde, and she remembered her earlier realization. She wanted to say something so badly, but she also didn’t see any reason to… but something about this mysterious Northside girl intrigued her. Finally, she gave in and asked, “You here to watch that girl?”

“She’s my friend,” the redhead stated immediately, “I’m here with her.”

Toni rolled her eyes, looking back at the blonde. It seemed like she’d forgotten the redhead was even here. “Yeah,” Toni said sarcastically, “sure seems like _she’s_ here with _you_.”

“We always go to parties together,” the Northsider informed her, “so that we can make sure neither of us gets into too much trouble. So she wants to go hook up some guys? Who am I to stop her?”

Toni heard herself laugh before she could even think twice, and she asked, “Someone with a crush?”

That got the Northsider to turn around and look at her very quickly. “I do _not_ have a crush on anyone. Definitely not my best friend.” Toni lifted her hands defensively, but wasn’t able to wipe the smirk off of her face.

“Whatever you say,” she said, “I’m just saying. You’ve been staring at her since you sat down.” Toni realized immediately after speaking that she’d made it clear that she actually had been watching her the whole time, and the Northsider noticed, her eyes narrowing.

“I’m just trying to make sure she stays safe.”

Toni looked over at the blonde, who had Cody’s Serpent jacket over her shoulders. That was not very Northsider like, but this blonde girl did seem pretty desperate to get laid—especially taking into consideration what all of the rich people on the Northside thought about Serpents. “I don’t know about safe,” Toni said, “but she seems to be having fun.” The redhead turned to follow Toni’s gaze, looking at the blonde, and Toni could see her expression falling a little. “How come you’re not over there having fun with them? She ask you to stay away?”

“No!”

“Well then, what?” Toni asked, thoroughly entertained by this conversation. “It hurts if you’re by her while she’s flirting with someone else?” The girl didn’t say anything, and Toni nodded, watching those dark eyes stay trained on the other Northsider girl. “Yeah, that one, huh?”

Suddenly, the animosity was back in the redhead, who looked back at Toni and snapped, “Look, bitch, the reason I’m sitting over here alone is because I don’t want to waste my time hanging out with any of you low-life losers. I’m only _here_ because my best friend wants to be here. So I will sit here alone if I want to, making sure that my _friend_ is okay, for however long I please.”

The amusement Toni had felt toward this conversation immediately dissipated, and Toni glared at the girl. She didn’t know why she’d even bothered trying to speak to this girl after the brief exchange about the smoke. “Fine then, _Red_ ,” Toni said, using the nickname since she had nothing else to call this girl besides _Northsider_ , “I’ll leave you alone so you don’t have to associate with any low-life losers.” She got off the table and headed toward the bar, but for good measure, she took another hit from her joint, looked right over her shoulder and blew the smoke right toward the redhead, who coughed and muttered something that Toni couldn’t hear.

Feeling a little better after getting back at the girl, Toni went over to Sweet Pea and Fangs, who greeted her with grins. “I was wondering where you were,” Sweet Pea said, “your uncle was home when I left, so I was surprised that I didn’t see you here.”

“I was here,” Toni said, “smoking in the corner. But then I was rudely interrupted, so I decided to come and join you losers.”

“Wow, love you too, Tiny,” Fangs said with an eyeroll. “Well, you’re off now, right? How about some shots?”

“I’ll pass on shots—it’s a school night and I still have to drive home and get past my uncle to go to bed tonight. He’s always ten times more pissed if I come home smelling like alcohol.”

“You literally serve people alcohol.”

Toni shrugged. She waved down Hog Eye, who both owned the bar and worked the late Friday nights, and ordered a coke. Fangs started telling some ridiculous story from one of his classes that day, and Toni found herself getting sufficiently distracted from the stressors of her day, losing herself in the company of her two best friends.

A little while later, though, Sweet Pea looked down at the bar and lifted an eyebrow. “Who’s that?” Toni turned to look at who he was talking about, and lo and behold, it was the redhead.

“The weed hater,” Toni muttered, and Fangs snickered.

“That’s the girl who interrupted your smoke?” he asked.

“She’s hot,” Sweet Pea commented.

“Oh shut up, Sweets. She’s a Northsider.”

“So what?” Sweet Pea asked. “Northsiders can be hot—even if they are assholes usually.”

“What other Northsiders do you think are hot?” Fangs asked in amusement.

“I dunno. I don’t know many. Betty’s pretty hot.”

Toni smirked. “Don’t let Jug hear you say that. I think he’ll beat your ass.”

“I can take Jones,” Sweet Pea insisted.

Fangs laughed. “Not on your own, you couldn’t.”

“Hell yeah I could. I’ve beaten up more people than _he_ has.”

Toni rolled her eyes at her friends, and once again almost forgot about the redhead at the other end of the bar.

It was a while later that Toni realized that she was feeling ready to go home. The weed was affecting her in full, and it was making her feel a bit sleepy. However, every time she started to get ready to say bye to her friends, she would realize that the Northsider was still sitting at the bar, and for some reason, she didn’t want to leave before her. Maybe she was trying to claim this as her territory—or maybe she just wanted to see what would happen at the end of the night for the girl who was clearly pining over her best friend—but either way, she couldn’t bring herself to leave first.

Finally, though, the redhead hopped off of the barstool and made for the exit without her blonde friend. Toni was actually surprised at that, and glanced at the blonde. She didn’t even look concerned, and for some reason, that pissed Toni off. How could this girl not even realize how _not_ fun of a time the redhead was having?

Toni let out a breath. She was too high to think about this right now. What she needed was a good night’s sleep. “Alright, boys,” she said, “I’m gonna head out. I desperately need some sleep.”

“Alright, Tiny,” Sweet Pea said, “we’ll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Bye, Toni!”

“Bye Fangs, bye Sweets.” Toni pocketed her phone and started outside. As she stepped outside, she saw the redhead leaning against the outside wall of the bar. Groaning, she muttered, “Damn it.” The redhead narrowed her eyes at her.

“Are you following me now?”

“No, I thought you left for good. I just… needed fresh air,” Toni snapped back, although it was a little bit of a lie. She had been planning on leaving… but her curiosity managed to get the better of her and she leaned against the wall on the other side of the door. She glanced over at the Northsider. “Why are you still here if you hate it so much? You’re not even inside to keep an eye out on your friend.”

“She’s my ride.”

That was a surprise to Toni—didn’t all of these rich bitches have fancy cars? “Ah. Really? You don’t have a car?”

“I do,” the other girl answered, “I have a really nice car, thank you very much.” Toni rolled her eyes at that. “Just… my friend drove me.”

“Figures,” Toni muttered, but she wondered for a moment if the girl would want a ride home. It didn’t seem like the blonde was planning on leaving any time soon.

“What figures?” the other girl’s voice was sharp again.

“That you have a car,” Toni clarified in exasperation. “Northside Rich Bitch and all that.”

“Excuse me?” the girl snapped, even though she’d said just as rude things earlier to Toni. Toni shook her head, realizing that maybe she wasn’t high enough yet, and she grabbed her joint from her pocket and lit it again. “Man, you Northside people are so easily offended.” She laughed a little, and took another hit.

There were a few long moments of silence, and then Toni asked herself why she was even still here? Letting out a breath, she put out her joint again and started off toward her motorcycle.

“Of course you drive one of those death traps,” she heard the other girl mutter.

“What was that, Red?” she called.

“I said your motorcycle is a death trap.”

Toni smirked—that wasn’t an insult, just obvious ignorance, but it was funny that the Northsider thought it was an insult. As she climbed onto her motorcycle and grabbed he helmet, she took in a breath, and decided to make her offer. “I guess you’d refuse then, if I offered you a ride home?”

“Yes, I would.”

Toni nodded a little, and then shrugged. It didn’t affect her. She probably wouldn’t even see this girl ever again. “Alright, suit yourself, Red. I hope you have a good night pining after your best friend.” She pulled on her helmet.

“I’m not—”

“Bye!” Toni called, revving her engine, and driving off toward Sunnyside Trailer Park, leaving the redhead behind.

She’d never been so intrigued, and so simultaneously frustrated, by a Northsider before. Usually they either pissed her off, or pleasantly surprised her—although that had only happened once, with Betty Cooper. But by the time Toni had ever met Betty, she’d been dating Jughead for a while already, and that was probably why she was tolerable. This redhead was different. Toni could tell that she was struggling, but she was clearly very closed off, and obviously had a strong hatred for the Southside.

Shaking her head, Toni tried to forget the whole interaction. It was a weeknight, and everything that had happened had caused her to definitely get too high for a school night. She needed to take a shower and sleep it off.

And when she got home shortly after, sneaking to her room without disturbing her uncle, Tristan, who was already passed out in his room, that’s exactly what she did.


	2. off key in your chorus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni embraces the weekend after a long week, but finds that she recognizes a couple of Northsiders at the Sunnyside bonfire on Friday night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening lovelies! Thought I'd drop chapter 2 today before I start doing an update about every other day, since yesterday's was so short :) Thanks for the comments and kudos so far, y'all are so sweet as usual!
> 
> Enjoy <3 x

Toni sat at her usual lunch table on Friday feeling a lot more peppy than normal. She was very happy that it was the end of the week, finally, especially since she wouldn’t be working that night. No, instead, she would be partying at Sunnyside—there was going to be a bonfire. Winter and Spring bonfire parties were very popular at Sunnyside, especially among the younger residents and the Serpents, but even others liked to join in. Sometimes, they partied for a specific reason, but tonight, it was mostly just to take a break from school. Junior year, as expected, was sucking ass, even at the shithole that was Southside High.

“Yo, Tiny!” Sweet Pea called, before dropping his lunch tray across from her at the table and plopping down. “Ready for the party tonight?”

“So ready,” she answered.

“Yeah, you were so high at the Wyrm earlier this week that I’m surprised you even made it through the rest of the week,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well trust me, I won’t be getting that high again for a while,” she assured him. “Wasted too much weed on one night—and it was a fucking school night, so it just made me not wanna get up the next morning.”

Fangs snickered, appearing as well and joining the two of them at the table. “It’s because you’re so tiny.”

“Oh shut up,” she snapped. “Is Felicity gonna be at the party, Fangs?”

“Don’t think so,” he answered. “She’s working tonight.”

“I feel like she works every night,” Sweet Pea commented.

Toni rolled her eyes. “That’s how you save up money, Sweets. I’m happy for her.”

“Too bad half of the money she saves up gets blown on beer for Fangs,” Sweet Pea said with a chuckle.

“First of all, she offers to buy me beer. Second of all, you’ve drank plenty of beer provided by Felicity, so you better shut your mouth,” Fangs snapped.

“You two are ridiculous,” Toni muttered, shaking her head and finally resuming her lunch—a thin PB&J and some orange slices. It was a typical Southside High lunch. She used to hate it, but now she was just grateful that the Serpent emblem on her back kept the Ghoulies from trying to take it from her. Some of the kids who weren’t in gangs went without lunch on days where the Ghoulies were a little more hungry than normal.

“After this shitty ass week,” Fangs said, “I seriously need to get laid.”

“Well, aren’t you and Joaquin like a thing now?” Toni asked.

Fangs shrugged. “I think so? I don’t know. We sort of talked about it, but we didn’t use big words.”

“Big words like _boyfriend_?” Sweet Pea asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Shut up, dude, you don’t know anything about relationships.”

“Ouch! That hurts.”

Fangs narrowed his eyes. “You’ve literally never been in a relationship, dude. Sure you’ve fucked around, but you spent like three years pining after Tiny over here.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Do we have to talk about that?”

“I see your point,” Sweet Pea conceded. “Well, unfortunately, Toni can’t be much help either then. Not like she has much real relationship experience either.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I have more than you do, dick. Regardless, Fangs, I think if you want to be his boyfriend, you have to suck it up and ask him. You guys have been seeing each other off and on for like, a long ass time. Might as well stop beating around the bush.”

Fangs nodded slowly. “I guess you’re right. Maybe I’ll bring it up to him again. It’s just… kinda weird. Going from sneaking around Fox Forest and sleeping with lots of people to being like, committed.”

“Relationships are overrated,” Sweet Pea insisted, taking a bite of his lunch. “Do you think someone is gonna make burgers at the party tonight?” His mouth was full of food as he asked the question, and Toni grimaced.

“I don’t know. How are you thinking about food while you’re literally eating? You’ve been spending too much time with Jughead,” Toni said, shaking her head.

Sweet Pea shrugged, swallowing. “This shit lunch is barely food.”

“Why don’t you ever bring food anymore?” Fangs asked. “You always used to.”

“Noah eats a lot more than he used to,” Sweet Pea admitted, “so I give him my lunch.” Toni couldn’t help but crack a small smile. Sweet Pea was a big softie at heart, especially when it came to his little brother.

“Well, I guess pretty soon he’ll be able to pitch in with Serpent stuff and your family can make enough money for both of you to have good sized lunches?” Fangs asked.

“Still a few years away.”

They all went back to eating their food, chatting a little more about the upcoming bonfire, and then lunch ended and it was back to classes for them. Toni tried her best to focus on doing her work through her classes, but like most days, guys having totally not school appropriate conversations wouldn’t stop talking during class, and since she was already so ready for the week to be over, she kept getting distracted.

Finally, though, the last bell rang, and Toni all but ran out of Southside High and out to the parking lot. As she approached her motorcycle, her phone buzzed with a text from Jughead, to the group chat with the two of them, Sweet Pea, and Fangs.

**Jug – What time does the party start?**

**Sweet Pea – As soon as we get back to Sunnyside, as far as I’m concerned!**

**Jug – RH gets out later than you guys. But either way, I have plans with Betty and I don’t think she’s up to going to this party. So I’ll probably get there late if at all.**

**Sweet Pea – LAME. C’mon dude, I thought you were a Serpent now? Or was all of initiation just for show to you?**

**Toni – Leave him alone, Sweets, you know he’s helped the Serpents a lot since joining.**

**Fangs – I’m gonna hang out with Joaquin for a bit and then we’ll meet you guys at the party once it’s in full swing.**

**Sweet Pea – Well, Tiny, you gonna at least hang out with me?**

**Toni – I think I’m gonna ride around a bit. Really need some fresh air. Then I’ll be back at Sunnyside.**

**Sweet Pea – Sweet.**

Toni did just that, pulling on her helmet and putting her key into the slot on her bike. She revved her engine, getting some looks from some Ghoulies and other Southside High kids who were leaving the school, and then took off out of Southside High.

She drove south, a little out of town, just to ride around aimlessly. It always made her feel better.

After about fifteen minutes of wandering, she drove back to Sunnyside. There was absolutely no party yet, and even Sweet Pea wasn’t around just yet, so she went straight to her trailer. Thankfully, her uncle was not around—he hadn’t been at all the past two days. That was exactly how she liked it.

She holed up in her room, blasting some music and working on her homework, since she would be working the next two nights, and she had Serpent rounds the following morning. It was a couple hours later that she finally started getting texts from her friends again, alerting her that the party had actually begun.

**Sweet Pea – DUDES. Had to help Noah with some homework and shit but I just walked down to the bonfire and the party is officially started. So where the fuck are you guys?**

**Toni – Grab me a beer, I’m on my way.**

Toni closed her notebooks and climbed off of her bed, pulling her combat boots back on. She stepped into the bathroom and glanced at her appearance. Her hair was a mess of colors—the way she liked it. Her natural brown shone through, but mixed with it was blonde highlights, and purple and pink streaks. Her makeup wasn’t perfect, but it would be dark soon if it wasn’t already, so it didn’t really matter. Plus, it wasn’t really like she had anyone to impress.

Making sure she had her keys and phone tucked into her pockets, she tugged on her Serpent jacket and left the trailer, starting the walk to the entrance of Sunnyside Trailer Park, where the bonfire was.

The party was, in fact, in full swing. There weren’t any burgers, although it did look like Hog Eye was making hot dogs. She quickly found Sweet Pea, over by the bonfire with two solo cups filled with beer in his hands. He was talking to some other Serpents. Toni made her way over to them, and when he spotted her, he grinned and offered her the second cup.

“Thanks,” she said, taking a long drink from it. She tried to get engaged in the conversation being had, but she was quickly bored by it. Her gaze started wandering, and it landed on a couple of Serpent women, a couple years older than her, chatting. One of them was Tasha. She was two years older than Toni, and had just graduated from Southside High a year ago. She and Toni used to be close friends, despite their age gap. Now, though, not so much.

Toni took in a breath, shaking her head a little. She tried to refocus on the conversation, but she found that most of the guys were going off toward Hog Eye to get some food. “You good, Tiny?” Sweet Pea asked her.

“Yeah, sorry. This week has just been stressful at school,” she said, “and you know. My uncle was home earlier this week. Just, haven’t been in my best headspace.”

“I know what’ll make you feel better,” Sweet Pea insisted, and Toni lifted a concerned eyebrow. He started walking and, with nothing better to do, Toni followed him.

She quickly realized that they were approaching Cody, his friends, and some of the younger Serpents who had either recently graduated or dropped out of high school. She didn’t know all of them too well. The guys were all crowded around a table clearly set up for beer pong.

A blonde that Toni thought she recognized was standing next to Cody at one end of the table, and she had just landed the winning toss of the game, getting cheers from guys around the table.

“Hey Cody!” Sweet Pea called, drawing eyes, “You letting a girl carry you in this game?”

“Hey,” Toni snapped, “don’t be sexist, dick.”

“She’s good at the game man,” Cody insisted, laughing. “Bet you can’t say the same, can you, Sweet Pea?”

“Well, I do have a _female_ secret weapon of my own as well.”

Toni scoffed and rolled her eyes. “If you ever refer to me that way again, Sweets, I _will_ punch you.”

“Does that mean you don’t wanna play?” her best friend asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Toni let out a breath, about to refuse, until in her peripheral, she noticed long, red hair. Her gaze immediately fixated on the girl with the hair—it was the redhead Northsider from the bar earlier that week. The _blonde_ , then, was the friend that Toni had seen the redhead staring at so much, and that’s why she recognized her.

“You know what,” Toni heard herself saying, then finally looking back at Sweet Pea, “sure.”

“You guys are going down, I’ve never seen anyone play as good as Heather,” Cody admitted, and the blonde smiled smugly.

“Heather, is it?” Toni asked, as she and Sweet Pea came up to the other end of the table. She met the blonde’s blue eyes, unsure of why exactly she suddenly felt so much animosity toward this girl.

Heather nodded. “And who are you?”

“Do you care, Northside girl?” Toni snapped. “Aren’t we all just Southside scum to you?”

Heather rolled her eyes and snapped back, “Oh shut up, this is beer pong, not football. Trash talk isn’t part of the game.”

“Then let’s play,” Toni said, and so the game began.

As they went back and forth tossing ping pong balls, Toni could feel a dark gaze on her—coming, of course, from the redhead. She felt it on her every time she was about toss a ball, and she couldn’t tell if the girl was rooting for or against her. She guessed against, and that just fueled her sudden desire to win.

Thankfully, Toni was known to be very good at beer pong, and it came down to one cup on both sides. Heather made her toss, and missed. Toni made her toss, and it went straight into the remaining cup. She smirked as Cody drank, and Heather shook her head in annoyance. Sweet Pea cheered, and Toni laughed along. “Woo!” he yelled. “Anyone wanna challenge _us_ , the new champions?”

Toni didn’t expect any of the Serpents to step up, mostly because she’d beaten most of them in beer pong at some point already. However, what she expected even less was for the words, “I will,” to suddenly come out of the redhead.

Surprised as she was, Toni kept her cool as she smirked and said, “You’re gonna need a teammate, Red.” Zack, one of the Serpent seniors, volunteered to be Cheryl’s teammate, and the two of them stepped up to where Heather and Cody were. “Show ‘em who’s boss, Cher!” Heather said, smiling sweetly at the redhead, and Toni could practically see the girl’s—Cher, Heather had called her—face light up when Heather spoke to her.

The game began, and once again, Toni didn’t miss a single toss. However, neither did the redhead. That meant that the entire game was up to Sweet Pea and Zack, and as Cody had previously mentioned, Sweet Pea was not very good at the game. It ended up being one cup on Toni’s side versus three cups on the other side, so of course, the other team beat them.

Cody’s friends cheered loudly when the redhead landed the toss, and Heather’s hand landed on the girl’s back as she said, grinning, “That’s my girl!” For the first time since Toni had arrived at the beer pong table, those red lipstick coated lips turned into a smile.

Zack looked at the girl and asked, “You wanna keep playing?”

“No, I’m going to get another drink,” she answered, “but you guys keep playing.”

Sweet Pea looked at Toni, and she shook her head, stepping away from the table as the rest of them began forming new teams. Cody tried to step up to the table, but Toni saw Heather grab his arm and lean up to whisper something to him. Rolling her eyes, Toni turned away from the group and looked after the redhead. She was filling her cup up again, and Toni had a nice view of her backside—even if she was a Northside rich bitch, that didn’t mean that she was by any mean unattractive.

The girl then wandered around the bonfire, and Toni couldn’t help it, she was intrigued. Toni found herself following her, and when she walked around the fire, she saw the redhead sitting on the bench, her drink in hand. She immediately noticed Toni, and made a displeased face. “What do you want?”

“Whoa there,” Toni said, thinking of an excuse in a quick second, “I wanted to congratulate you on your win, that’s it.” She slowly sat down on the bench, making sure to be a good distance away from the other girl. “And to make sure you were good. You disappeared.”

“I’m good.”

Toni watched her carefully for a few quiet moments. She was still intrigued by this girl, and the only reason she could think of was because she could relate. She could relate to watching your friend flirt with boys when all you wanted was for them to flirt with you. She thought back to her friendship with Tasha, a long time ago, and yeah, she could relate. “I can see the appeal of your friend,” she finally said. “She’s got a… fun energy.” She couldn’t really see the appeal, personally, but she could see that the other girl seemed to like her. And she wasn’t going to get anywhere in terms of conversation if she was on attack mode.

“Oh really?” the redhead asked, uninterested.

“I’m just saying,” Toni insisted, “I get why you like her.”

The Northsider let out a sigh. “Could you please just leave me alone about it?” Toni bit down on the inside of her lip. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to drop the subject.

“Hey, I get it,” she heard herself say. “We’ve all been there. If it makes you feel better, I’ve been in your position… and in her position. I totally get it.”

That got her a look from those dark, intense eyes. “What do you mean?”

Toni let out a breath. “I’ve been in your position—I totally pined after my best friend in middle school for like, two years. I finally told her, and…” Toni thought back to the day she told Tasha that she had feelings for her. That had definitely been a very low point. “She thought I was disgusting. And well, let’s just say her nose looks a little less perfect now and she and I haven’t spoken since then.” It was an exaggeration—Toni hadn’t punched Tasha, she could’ve never brought herself to do that back then. But she had slapped her. What could she say? It hurt to have your best friend call you _disgusting_.

The Northsider looked a little amused by the lost comment, and Toni felt pride at getting that look from her. “What about her position?” she asked.

“Oh, well, I guess that was a little different,” she admitted. “Sweet Pea—who you just met—he used to have a major thing for me. I almost hooked up with him once, just to give it a try, but I knew it was going to fuck up our friendship, so eventually I had to tell it to him straight. It wasn’t going to happen, and he needed to back up. So we spent about a year talking a little less than normal, but now we’re pretty much back to the way things used to be. Except now, he’s not pining… Thank god.”

_Finally_ , the Northsider smiled—just a small smile, but Toni still considered it a win. “Wow.”

“Yeah…” Toni nodded a little. “Anyway. I’m sorry you’re stuck in that position, it’s hard. Straight girls make it hard.” Toni took a sip of her beer, and the redhead pursed her lips, casting her gaze down. Toni immediately knew where her thoughts were going. “If you’re doubting whether or not she’s really straight, stop. Don’t let your head go there.”

“It’s just…” The girl paused, shaking her head a little. “She’s different with me than when she’s with all those guys. And… _I’m_ the one who’s there for her, you know? All she ends up getting out of guys is _sex_.”

Toni shrugged, not wanting to hurt the girl by being too blunt, but also wanting her to realize that straight girls weren’t worth it. “I mean, you can’t _always_ know for sure. But let me tell you, Red, that girl… she seems straight as hell to me.”

“Cheryl,” the redhead said suddenly, looking back at Toni. “My name is Cheryl.”

Toni couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on her lips. “Toni.” Cheryl nodded a little. “So, why have you and your friend been at two Southside parties this week?”

Cheryl shrugged. “I guess she was getting tired of Northside guys. I don’t know. It was her idea. But now she likes this Cody guy.”

Toni nodded slowly, biting on the inside of her lip. “So I can expect to see you here again?”

Cheryl shook her head slowly, and said, “I don’t know about that. Heather fits in better at these kinds of parties.”

Toni thought back to Cheryl totally owning her and Sweet Pea at beer pong and lifted her beer closer to her lips. “You seemed to do just fine when you were kicking my ass at beer pong.” She took a drink from her glass, and Cheryl shrugged, also taking another drink. “Do you guys go to Riverdale high?” Cheryl nodded again, and Toni wondered why she was so quiet all of the sudden. “Must be nice. Southside High sucks ass.”

“All of the Southside sucks ass,” Cheryl stated plainly, causing Toni to snort a little at how sure she sounded.

“Yeah, you would obviously know, having been here two whole times.”

“”I don’t need to be here anymore than that to know what this place is like,” Cheryl snapped.

Toni shook her head. “Whatever you say, Red.” Cheryl took another sip of her beer, and Toni could tell that this conversation—whatever it had been—was over. She let out a breath. “Well, I’ll let you be.” She stood up from the bench. “Good luck with your friend.” Cheryl briefly met her gaze, but then Toni turned around and decided to go grab a hot dog.

She ate it quickly—a habit she had from growing up without always know when her next meal would be—and then glanced over toward the beer pong table, hoping to see where Sweet Pea had gone. But he wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and neither was Cheryl, Cody, or Heather. Fangs and Joaquin had apparently never made an appearance at the party, and neither had Jughead or Betty, at least not that Toni could tell.

Sighing, she glanced over at the alcohol and contemplated whether to try and find something stronger than beer, but then she saw a flash of red hair in her peripheral vision, and she turned her head to see Cheryl, walking with Sweet Pea, back from the front parking area. Toni furrowed her eyebrows a little. Cheryl was walking a little behind Sweet Pea, her arms wrapped around herself. Her face was set in a stern expression, but her dark eyes, cast downward, made her look… vulnerable, scared even.

Toni didn’t hesitate to approach the two of them, immediately concerned. “Uh, hey guys,” she greeted. “What’s up?”

“Red’s car won’t start,” Sweet Pea answered. “You wanna take a look at it with me?”

Toni knew jack shit about fixing cars, despite how much Sweet Pea had tried to teach her. She only knew about motorcycles. But she could tell that Sweet Pea needed her help on this, she assumed for the same reason that Cheryl looked so uncomfortable.

“Sure,” Toni agreed. She looked back at Cheryl for a moment, and then back to her best friend. “You wanna go get your tools, Sweets?” He nodded, and she looked back at Cheryl. “You wanna show me the car?”

Sweet Pea looked back at Cheryl and asked, “That okay?” The redhead nodded. “Okay, I’ll meet you guys back there in a couple minutes.”

Toni and Cheryl started back toward the parking area, and Toni chewed on the inside of her lip for a minute before she finally asked, “Are you okay? What happened?” Cheryl simple lifted her shoulders in a half assed shrug. Toni let out a breath. “Red…”

“Just this guy,” Cheryl answered abruptly, “some creep… he was trying to come onto me after he saw my car not start. But Sweet Pea intervened… before I had to beat the crap out of him.”

Toni couldn’t help but smile a little at that. She had a feeling that Cheryl could probably hold her own in a fight if need be. But she knew that didn’t change how scary something like that was. Unfortunately for Toni, she’d become used to guys giving her unwanted advances, but once she had been officially initiated into the Serpents, that sort of thing happened less and less. “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. What happened to your car?”

“No idea,” Cheryl answered, annoyance in her voice. “It worked all day, but now it just won’t turn on again. I guess this is what I get for having a really nice, but old, car.”

Toni glanced around at the cars. “Which is your car?”

“The Chevy Impala.”

Toni saw the red car in question immediately after Cheryl answered. “Oh damn. Yeah, that’s old. It’s nice though, wow.” She may not know much about fixing cars, but she was educated enough to recognize an expensive vehicle. Cheryl leaned against the front of the car as Toni popped the hood. She peered at the insides of the car, recognizing a few parts and noting that they looked alright. She didn’t know what the problem was, though. Thankfully, Sweet Pea walked up not too long later, and Toni glanced at him and said, “I think it’ll be an easy fix. But you’re the expert, take a look.”

“Yeah, nothing looks beat up or totally broken,” Sweet Pea agreed, glancing into the car. Toni looked at Cheryl as Sweet Pea continued to mutter things about the car. The redhead was glancing at her nails and her feet, or occasionally around the parking lot. Toni got lost in staring at her for a moment, before Sweet Pea said, “Tiny? Could you help me with this?”

“Oh, uh, yeah.”

She followed Sweet Pea’s directions, not retaining any of the explanation he gave her for why they were doing everything, until Sweet Pea finally told Cheryl to try and start it. She broke out of her trance and climbed into the car, putting in the key and turning it. The car rumbled to life.

“There you go!” Sweet Pea exclaimed proudly.

Cheryl got out of the car, looking at the two of them. “Thank you,” she said, then focusing more on Sweet Pea and adding, “Um, really. For before, too.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he said with a nod. “By the way, you’re really good at beer pong. If _you_ ever wanna be my female secret weapon…”

Toni couldn’t help but roll her eyes, feeling a surge of… protectiveness? Why would she be feeling protective of Cheryl from _Sweets_ , though? Ignoring the feeling, she told him, “Dude, the more you say that, the creepier and weirder it sounds.”

Sweet Pea just shrugged. “I’m gonna go put this stuff away.” He gave Cheryl a wave and said, “Get home safe!” He grabbed his bag of tools and started back toward the trailer part, but Toni, for some reason, decided not to head back yet. She didn’t know what she wanted to say, but something was drawing her to this Northside girl, and she couldn’t pinpoint it.

Realizing that Cheryl was waiting for her to say or do something, Toni asked, “What happened to Heather?”

“She’s with Cody,” Cheryl answered flatly, “and I’m going home.” Cheryl started to duck back into her car, and Toni quickly caught the door, keeping her from closing it.

“Hey,” she said carefully, “I know you don’t like me, but… if you ever need to talk… like I said before, I know what it’s like to be in your position. And I can help you, if you want…”

Cheryl narrowed her eyes. “Help me what?”

The question surprised Toni, and she opened her mouth for a moment, waiting for an answer to come to her. Finally, she just said, “I don’t know. Get through it.” She silently cursed herself for being so stupid. What would this Northside rich bitch want to talk to her for? Just a few days ago, she’d called her a low-life loser. “Or… whatever. I’m sure you don’t care about my opinion either way, you should get home.”

“Yeah, I should.”

Toni nodded. “Um. Get home safe.”

“Thanks.”

Cheryl closed the car door, and Toni turned away, forcing herself to walk away. She didn’t know why she wanted to help Cheryl so bad. Even if parts of their brief conversations had been tolerable, for the most part, Cheryl had just insulted the Serpents and the Southside. But… it had seemed like, for a moment, that Cheryl appreciated hearing Toni explain how she could relate to her situation.

Still, that didn’t mean anything. And clearly, Cheryl didn’t want help, even if she did need it.

Toni shook her head at herself. There was no logical reason that she would keep trying to be nice to Cheryl at this point. Aside from being incredibly hot, all she’d proven to be was a rich, judgmental bitch, and Toni didn’t have time to deal with someone like that anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's weird reading these back, because I wrote them forever ago but I've reread them and the beginning of What A Time the most out of this whole story, so it's the least exciting part for me to read back lmao. But I hope it's interesting to read! Personally I think it gets more interesting as we go as well, kind of like how What A Time did (again, in my opinion lol).
> 
> Thanks for being here, if you want to drop a comment or Tweet/DM me @ToriWrtsStories, I'd love to hear your thoughts <3  
> Have a lovely end of the week everyone, I'll see y'all on Saturday! x


	3. behind closed doors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni is surprised when the Northsider she keeps running into seeks her out at The White Wyrm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening everyone! I just baked a cake and I'm about to start working some more on my new story, so I figured it was a good time to post the next chapter <3
> 
> Enjoy! x

“Morning Tiny,” Sweet Pea greeted Toni, as they met up outside his trailer, “excited to scare some Ghoulies this morning?”

“As ever,” Toni answered with a chuckle. She was sat on her motorcycle, her helmet resting between her thighs. “You wanna get lunch after?”

“I can’t,” Sweet Pea said apologetically, “my dad told me I need to sit with Noah through some homework today. Apparently he’s been skipping all of his homework all week, so his punishment is to do it all today.”

“Damn. Well, maybe the next time he wants to skip it, I can come over and talk him through it.”

“That’d probably help,” Sweet Pea agreed. “Alright, I think some other guys said they were taking the outskirts today. I’ll do the train tracks and you stay in Southside limits?”

“Fine by me.”

So Toni spent the next hour or so driving around Southside, keeping her eyes peeled for any gang like activity that wasn’t Serpent related—though, there shouldn’t have been any Serpent related gang activity anyway. Ever since Jughead had finally joined the Serpents, and was sort of helping his dad out with leadership—on the backend, so to speak, the Serpents had been a little less illegal and a little more focused on community. Toni liked that, because she saw it as an indication that lives were actually going to get better. Sure, being a part of the Serpents provided community no matter what, but when everyone in the community’s job is to participate in various illegal activities, people get arrested. And when people get arrested, families get broken up. And no one knew the consequences of that better than Toni.

After rounds, she was more than ready for lunch, but she knew that Tristan would be home at this time of the day, and she didn’t want to risk pissing him off. So instead of braving her trailer, she stopped by her favorite pizza place on the Southside—the only pizza place on the Southside, actually—and got half of a cheese pizza and a medium coke to-go.

From there, she drove to the White Wyrm, parking her motorcycle and leaving it in front of the closed bar as she ventured around the side of the building, coming up to the entrance to the old, neglected alleyway that was only frequented by her. Her half-size pizza box and Styrofoam cup in hand, she entered the junk and trash-filled alley. So much junk had accumulated over the past ten, fifteen years that no one would be able to spot the one specific pile of trash blocking a hole in the wall—a hole just big enough for an adult to squeeze through.

She shoved some trash out of the way, ducking down through the hole, and let out a relaxed breath. This little space, a blocked up square—no bigger than ten square feet, if that big—filled with a couple of old crates and sawdust and dirt, was one of the few places Toni really felt like she could relax. She knew that it made no sense, but growing up in her situation, it did. Her uncle made her home no place to relax, and although she loved the Serpents, she could never feel completely relaxed when surrounded by people. That meant that the Wyrm and Sunnyside couldn’t really be a place to truly be free to disengage. No, only here, hidden away from everything and everyone, could Toni feel that freeing feeling.

She sat on one of the crates, leaning her back against the brick wall, and set her coke on the ground, then opening her pizza box.

She stayed there for a while, eating her lunch and then just going on her phone, keeping herself occupied for as long as possible, hoping her uncle would go out so she could maybe lay down for a little while before going into her shift that night. She wasn’t even sure where her uncle went all the time. If she wasn’t working, he could be found at the Wyrm occasionally, but his hatred of the Southside Serpents usually kept him away from there. Toni was pretty sure that he would leave town sometimes, but it wasn’t her place to ask, not if she wanted to keep her bed.

Only once she felt completely bored out of her mind did she finally leave the little space. She made sure that junk covered the entrance well enough, and then brought her own trash back out of the alley, tossing it into the trashcan outside of the Wyrm. Her break from the real world was over, it was back to her same old.

* * *

Saturday night at the White Wyrm was busy, but by a little after midnight, lots of people had cleared out, and Hog Eye told her that she was free to head home. Since she had nowhere to be Sunday morning, that meant that she could actually sleep at a somewhat normal time _and_ sleep in.

She felt pretty on top of the world on Sunday morning, and her mood only improved when Sweet Pea texted her asking if she wanted to come over for lunch—his dad was making burgers.

She let herself into her best friend’s trailer, her eyes landing on Sweet Pea and Noah, who were both sitting at the little dining table. “Hey Toni!” Noah greeted with a smile. “You wouldn’t believe how much homework I had to do yesterday.”

“I heard about that,” Toni told him, giving him a sympathetic look.

“Maybe,” Sweet Pea’s dad—Vic—said suddenly, drawing Toni’s attention to where he stood at the stove, “if you didn’t put it all off till Saturday, it would be less overwhelming.”

Noah groaned, and Toni just chuckled. “You know your dad is right.”

“You’re good at school, right?” Noah asked her. “Can’t you just help me?”

Toni nodded. “Of course I can, kiddo. Just not all the time. So if I help you, you have to promise to actually learn what I teach you.”

“Toni’s a real good tutor,” Vic told his young son assuredly, “I remember when she and Sweet Pea would do homework together—she basically had to walk him through everything.”

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, okay. Moving on.” Toni chuckled, going to join the boys at the table.

“Thanks for having me over,” she said politely to Vic. She said it every time she came over for a meal, and every time had gave her the same response.

“You’re family, Toni. You are welcome here anytime.”

It was always so nice to hear him say that, and Toni wished that she really was a _real_ part of their family. She’d been wishing that for pretty much as long as she could remember. When she was about ten, her parents were hardly ever around. They spent all their money on drugs, and Toni was far too independent for a ten year old. She remembered one time when she told Sweet Pea that he was so lucky to have a family that was _whole_ , and he replied with, “My family isn’t whole. My mom left us. At least you have two parents.” At the time, Toni had considered that and thought maybe he was right, but now, she knew that she and Sweet Pea both knew that quality far outweighed quantity when it came to family.

She spent a good portion of the afternoon hanging out with the three guys, having lunch, watching TV, and helping Noah understand his English assignment a little better. Eventually, though, she had to get to work, so she thanked them again for having her over and headed to the bar.

As she was getting to the Wyrm, she got a text in a group chat with all of the teenage Serpents, from Jughead.

**Jug – Anyone able to meet me at Pop’s later tonight?**

**Sweet Pea – What time and what for?**

**Jug – Like eight-thirty? Some guys doing rounds this morning overheard a couple of Ghoulies from school saying something about stopping by there.**

**Fangs – Why should we care? That’s the northside.**

**Cody – I’m always down for scaring Ghoulies**

**Sweet Pea – Yeah, same, I’ll be there.**

**Fangs – Fine, same**

**Zack – I’ll be there**

**Toni – I’m working till nine, sorry!**

**Jug – That’s fine, we should be good with the five of us. Thanks guys.**

Toni just let out a breath as she walked into the Wyrm. She was actually glad to sit this one out. Rumors of Ghoulies showing up at places were either not legitimate, or a way bigger deal than anyone expected.

Not worrying about it, she went about her shift as usual, and around eight-thirty, she started to glance at her phone every few minutes, just wanting keep tabs on her friends. Finally, at around eight-forty-five, Fangs texted her.

**Fangs – I know you’re obsessively checking your phone to make sure we’re all okay—we are. We got there and not much seemed to be happening. We spread out and scoped out the area, watched for suspicious activity. Nothing. So we just left. Jughead and Betty are getting dinner there though so we’re just gonna stay attentive to our phones in case anything does happen. But we’re pretty sure it’s nothing.**

**Toni – Thanks for keeping me updated! Love you!**

She quickly pocketed her phone and got back to work, wiping down the bar a bit and feeling ready to leave. She cleared a few drinks, and someone asked her for a second beer, and she nodded, turning around to grab one. While her back was to it, she heard the door open, and the unmistakable sound of heels walking on the floor. She turned back around, handing the beer to the guy, and then looked up, her eyes landing on none other than _Cheryl_. She was wearing jeans and a blouse, as well as her heels of course, but was missing the red lipstick that she’d been wearing the last two times Toni saw her.

Toni pressed her palms to the cold countertop of the bar, lifting an eyebrow. When Cheryl was stopped in front of her, she said, “Well, look who’s returned to the filth of the Southside.”

Cheryl crossed her arms over her chest, looking unimpressed. “Don’t make me regret coming here.”

Toni nearly scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you’re already regretting it, Red. I thought this place sucked ass? How aren’t you regretting stepping foot in here?” If she was being honest, maybe she was exaggerating her tone just a little bit, but to some extent, she really was shocked that Cheryl was back here. She’d all but forgotten about the redhead after Friday night, having concluded that there wasn’t any point in lingering on the girl or her situation, but now here she was, back in the Wyrm, no blonde friend in sight.

“I came to talk to you.”

Toni had not expected the girl to be so blunt, and any amusement she’d been feeling fell away. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m about to get off. Give me a minute.” Cheryl stepped back, nodding, and Toni finished cleaning up her area, and looked over to Hog Eye. “I’m heading out.” He gave her a nod and a wave, and she slipped into the break room quickly. She grabbed her leather Serpent jacket, tugging it on over the plain magenta tank top she was wearing.

She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, seeing that Fangs had texted her again.

**Fangs – Love you too, loser.**

She smiled a little and then walked out of the break room, looking up at Cheryl as she approached her. “Alright, Red, what are we talking about?”

“Not here,” Cheryl insisted, and Toni could tell that the girl felt uncomfortable.

“Well, okay…” Toni could think of only one place that they could realistically go and be truly alone. “Would you prefer to go somewhere on the Northside, or could I suggest a place?” Toni smirked a little as Cheryl rolled her eyes.

“I don’t care, but I have food in my car, and I need to eat,” the redhead answered. Toni was definitely ready for dinner as well, but she didn’t have any food with her, unfortunately.

Ignoring her own hunger, she nodded and said, a little teasingly, “Okay, well then let’s go somewhere where _you_ can eat and _we_ can talk.” She could tell that Cheryl noticed the teasing tone, but the girl didn’t say anything as they left the bar.

“Are we driving somewhere?” the redhead asked as Toni watched her walk over to her car to grab a paper bag of food out of it.

“There’s a place we can sit that’s like a minute walk away,” Toni answered, wondering what Cheryl would think about the alleyway and Toni’s little hideaway. Cheryl just nodded, and Toni was surprised that the girl didn’t ask where they were going as Toni started to lead them behind the Wyrm. As they entered the alley, Cheryl started to look a little worried.

“This place is terrifying…”

“Yeah, well, you get used to it,” Toni joked, as they came up to the hidden entrance. Toni cleared the trash out of the way and then ducked through the hole.

“You better not be taking me somewhere to mug me,” Toni heard the redhead mumble as she followed. Toni rolled her eyes, and turned to Cheryl as her dark eyes looked around the space. Toni wasn’t sure why she started to feel ready to defend this area, even though it wasn’t hers in anyway. “What the hell?” Cheryl asked, and Toni understood her shock.

“Used to be some kind of loading area for that place,” Toni told her, nodding to the locked door on one side. “Used to be a grocery store. When it closed, whoever bought the building put up the wall to block access to the alley, and they forgot about it. But some of us found a small hole in the wall, and well, we obviously made it bigger. I’m the only one who ever comes here though… so don’t worry.”

Cheryl just nodded, and Toni sat down on her usual crate, leaning against the wall. She watched Cheryl stand there for a minute, looking like she didn’t want to touch anything. It was a little amusing, but Toni didn’t say anything, just gesturing to the other crate on the ground. Cheryl slowly went over to it and sat down, opening her bag of food and producing a burger and a milkshake.

Toni watched her open the food for a moment. It was dark out, so it was a little hard to see the details of the redhead, but Toni could easily recall last week when she’d first seen the girl. That beautiful, long red hair, those dark eyes, pale unmarred skin. She was stunning, and it took Toni a second to remember that they were supposed to be talking.

“So, Red,” she said finally, “what are we talking about?”

Cheryl heaved a sigh, and Toni was pretty sure that she already knew what the topic of interest was. “Heather.”

“Figures. What happened?”

“Nothing, just…”

“Just… I was right? You’re in denial? You don’t know what to do?”

A frown came to those plump lips. “Yes? I guess…”

Toni thought for a second, while Cheryl continued to eat her burger. She hadn’t had to give advice to very many people who were questioning their sexuality or having a crush on a straight person, but she’d offered her ear to Cheryl, and surprisingly, the Northsider had accepted it. She knew that Cheryl didn’t think highly of her or the Southside, but Toni needed to put all of that aside in this moment. This was a girl asking for help, and Toni had experience that could help her. She wanted to give real advice. “Look, you want my genuine advice?” she finally asked. “Stop seeing her so often. Give yourself space. Hang out with other people.” She thought for another second. “Find out something about her that makes you see her in less positive light. _Find a way_ to stop feeling the way you do toward her.”

Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows. “But she’s my best friend. I can’t just _do_ any of those things.”

“You _can_ do whatever you want, just because you won’t do them doesn’t mean it’s not possible,” Toni argued. Cheryl let out a little sigh.

“But… what if there’s a chance? What if I’m missing something?” That brought a frown to Toni’s face. She knew what that was like, to be hopeful and to decide to tell your straight friend that you like them. She also knew what almost always happened when people did that.

“You really think there is a chance that your _best friend_ , who is totally boy crazy, is actually in love with you?” Cheryl shrugged, and Toni frowned. “Look, Cheryl, I don’t wanna burst your bubble, but that doesn’t happen very often. Okay? There’s not very many gay or bi people in this town. The likelihood that Heather is one of the closeted ones… I don’t know exactly, but it doesn’t seem very likely to me.”

Cheryl was quiet for a moment. “I shouldn’t tell her. Should I?”

“Probably not,” Toni answered. “You _can_ , but… in my limited experience, it can ruin friendships.” Toni’s mind thought back to when that very thing had happened to her, and she could feel that hurt when she told Tasha how she felt, and the girl had not just rejected her, but insulted her. It had been horrible. Bringing herself out of that place, she looked back at Cheryl and noticed the look of sadness on that beautiful face. Toni’s mind started thinking about how she could offer any help to Cheryl. Maybe part of her wanted to offer more than what she already had, so that there could be any chance of her seeing Cheryl again. Finally, she sighed, getting Cheryl’s attention, and said, “There are ways you can test the waters, though.”

That piqued Cheryl’s interest, as Toni suspected it would. “Without it being obvious?” She sounded doubtful, and Toni didn’t blame her. She didn’t really have any evidence that something like what she had in mind would work, although she figured it could at least start a conversation.

“You could try just like… mentioning the idea of being with a girl,” Toni suggested, “at the very least. See how she feels about that sort of thing. Speaking as a bi girl… sometimes it’s just easier to date dudes to avoid the drama of feeling super vulnerable, especially in a small town like this.”

Cheryl nodded a little. “That’s… a good idea. I’ve never thought to mention anything like that, because…”

“You’re worried it’ll be obvious,” Toni finished for her.

“Yeah.”

“Well, don’t say it like a hypothetical,” Toni instructed. “Maybe… I don’t know, bring up a gay TV character or something, or say you saw some girls who were dating each other or something. Just see how she reacts. If you bring out the hypotheticals, you’ll get caught.”

Cheryl took a sip of her milkshake, her dark eyes focused in on Toni, and the Serpent felt her cheeks get warm. She was glad that it was dark enough that Cheryl definitely couldn’t have noticed. It was just something about Cheryl’s gaze, those captivating eyes, that woke her body up. “Why are you helping me?” Cheryl asked suddenly.

Toni shrugged, trying to formulate a response that wasn’t the entire truth—that she was intrigued by this beautiful Northside girl who was secretly into girls. “There aren’t many not-straight girls in Riverdale,” she decided to say. “We’ve gotta stick together, right? And…” She thought for another second, realizing that part of her wanted to help so that Cheryl didn’t have to go through something like she did with Tasha. “I didn’t have anyone to talk to about this sort of thing when I was realizing my sexuality. It sucked.”

Cheryl nodded. “Well, thank you.”

Cheryl kept eating, and Toni leaned her head back against the wall, thinking of how crazy it was that after being so sure that she wouldn’t see this Northside girl around anymore, or that if she did, Cheryl would avoid her like the plague, and now here they were. A Northside princess asking for _Toni’s_ advice. That’s when Toni realized that she had no idea how Cheryl had even known where she could find Toni. If she really went looking for her, wouldn’t she have thought to check Sunnyside first? She glanced at Cheryl, and decided that she may as well ask. “Hey, how did you know I’d even be at the Wyrm?”

Cheryl swallowed her food before answering. “I went to Pop’s, and ran into Sweet Pea. He told me.” So Cheryl had been at Pop’s while the Serpents had been there, scoping things out to see if any Ghoulies are around. She wondered if Cheryl knew why Sweet Pea had been there, but she didn’t ask.

Instead, she smirked and asked, “You asked him where I was?’

Shrugging, the redhead answered, “Yeah, well. I wanted to talk to you about all this. Like you said… it sucks not having anyone to talk to.” Toni nodded slowly, and then made a split second decision, pulling her phone out of her pocket, and looking at the screen as she unlocked it and created a new contact field. Letting out a little breath, she held it out to Cheryl.

“Well, how about next time you need to talk, you text me?”

Cheryl hesitated, and Toni noticed her doing so. She was about to rescind her offer, when Cheryl finally did take the phone and began typing her name and number into it. She handed it back to Toni, who quickly drafted a text to the girl.

**Toni – Hey, Red, it’s Toni.**

“You know you can call me by my name,” Cheryl told her as she read the text on her own phone a second later. “What’s your last name?”

“Topaz,” Toni answered, “and I know I can, but Red is just so fitting for you. It’s your hair… you’re always wearing red. The lipstick…” Toni blinked, remembering that Cheryl actually wasn’t wearing the red lip she’d seen her wear the previous two times they’d seen each other. “Which you aren’t wearing today.”

“Well, I was home all day until I went to go get Pop’s. I guess I forgot to put it on.” Toni shrugged, and Cheryl took another bite of her burger. She looked down at her food thoughtfully for a moment, and then when she swallowed she grabbed a small bag of fries out of the paper bag and looked up at Toni. “Want fries?”

Toni smiled a little, gratefully accepting the bag. “Thanks.” She ate a fry and her stomach gurgled a little happily. “I haven’t eaten since before my shift.”

“How do you work as a bartender? Are you eighteen?” Cheryl asked suddenly.

Toni let out a little laugh. “No, but they don’t give a fuck there. I’m good at the job, so I do it. I mean, Hog Eye owns it, and he’s pretty nice and also kinda stupid, so that’s probably part of the reason. But in the Serpents, age doesn’t really matter. If you can do a job, you do it.” Toni ate another fry as Cheryl nodded silently. “I bet you’ve never worked a day in your life, huh?” She wasn’t trying to be judgmental, but it was kind of wild to her that people on the Northside didn’t always have to work to help support their family or anything like that.

“No,” Cheryl answered with narrowed eyes, “ _but_ , I’m the head cheerleader, and I basically run that team.”

Toni laughed a little, finding it adorable how defensive Cheryl got, and shook her head. “Damn.”

“It’s not my fault that I was born into a family that has enough money for me to not work,” Cheryl snapped at her, a lot more defensive than Toni had anticipated.

Wiping the amused expression off of her face, Toni just lifted an eyebrow and said, “I know that. It’s not my fault that I was born into a family who lives on the Southside, either. None of us picks the life we get stuck with.” Cheryl blinked, looking a little taken aback at how Toni had used her own logic against her. The redhead just nodded, and Toni tried not to look smug about having beaten Cheryl in this moment.

A moment later, Cheryl had finished her food and began gathering up her trash. “I should probably get home.”

“Probably. I guess I should, too. Thanks for the fries.”

“You’re welcome. And… uh, thank you for letting me talk… and for the advice.”

They booth stood up from the crates, and were headed out into the alley. “No problem,” Toni replied. “You’ve gotta let me know how it goes with Heather, okay? Testing the waters.”

“I will,” Cheryl told her. Toni covered the hole after they’d both emerged, and they walked back to the White Wyrm, a strange silence settling between them. Toni wouldn’t go as far to say it was a comfortable silence, but it was definitely not entirely awkward or unpleasant, so she counted that as a win.

When they got the White Wyrm parking lot, Cheryl gave Toni a small wave and a simple, “Bye.”

“Bye, Red,” Toni answered, climbing onto her motorcycle as Cheryl went for her car.

As she sped back to Sunnyside, Toni wished she could know what Cheryl was thinking. But she knew that she would be disappointed if she did know. Cheryl’s thoughts were clearly plagued by Heather, and Toni knew that feelings like that would block out anything else while they lasted.

And Toni knew better than to let herself think the way she was starting to. Cheryl might not be straight, but she was unattainable in many other ways, and Toni knew that. She wasn’t about to fuck herself over by developing feelings for this girl she’d known for less than a week, and who she’d only just had any sort of _real_ meaningful conversation with just this evening.

As she drove into Sunnyside and toward her uncle’s trailer, she let out a long breath, and pushed any thoughts of Cheryl aside. She knew better, so she would be better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate you all being here <3 Your comments always made me smile and I hope you know that I'm not exaggerating at all, hearing your thoughts on my writing is really the amazing cherry on top of doing what I love - writing these kinds of stories :)
> 
> Hope you're all having a good weekend :) The next chapter will be up on Monday, so (unless you follow me on Twitter) I will see you all then <3


	4. and we stayed up for hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni helps Cheryl have fun without Heather.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening lovelies! Here's the next chapter <3
> 
> Enjoy!xx

The start of Toni’s week was much better than the previous week. She fell into the rhythm of school fairly well, even with the raised expectations from teachers, and she felt like the weekend had been an adequate enough break that she could actually motivate herself in class again.

Sweet Pea and Fangs definitely couldn’t say the same, and they reflected this by spending all day Monday ranting about the history project they’d both been assigned. Toni thought it was amusing, watching her two friends freak out about a project that would probably take her no more than a few hours.

She let them rant and get all of the stress out at lunch and briefly after school, before she finally told them as they all walked toward their motorcycles, “Relax, you idiots, I’ll help you both with your dumb history projects.”

That got the two of them beaming. “Oh, Tiny, what would we do without you?”

“Drop out? Fail out? I don’t know, but I don’t think any of us want to know,” she teased. “But look, you both have to put in the effort, okay? We can meet up tomorrow after school and get a start on it.”

“We have three weeks to do it and you want us to start tomorrow?” Sweet Pea asked.

Fangs rolled his eyes. “Dude, this is why you fail assignments. You don’t even look at them until a couple days before they’re due.”

“Like you can talk!”

“At least I read what’s expected of me so I know about how long it’ll take.”

“Plus, Sweets,” Toni said, “haven’t you noticed how much of a better student Fangs is since he and Joaquin have been getting more serious? He’s now gotta impress.”

“Oh shut up,” Fangs told her, rolling his eyes, “that’s not even true.”

“She has a point,” Sweet Pea agreed. “Joaquin is pretty good at school and shit.”

“He’s smart,” Fangs agreed, “what’s wrong with that?”

“Hey guys!” a voice called, and Toni smirked.

“Speak of the devil…”

“Hey,” Fangs greeted brightly as Joaquin jogged over to them. “You don’t have to work today? Usually you’re scrambling over to the Pizza Place already.”

Joaquin shook his head. “Nope. No shift today.”

Toni and Sweet Pea exchanged amused looks, and silently agreed that this was their moment to excuse themselves. “Well,” Toni said brightly, amusement in her tone, “we better get going. See you _two_ later.”

“Bye guys,” Fangs said to them, giving them narrowed eyes as they both smirked a little.

“See you guys,” Joaquin called.

“Bye Joaquin!”

Toni and Sweet Pea continued their walk to the motorcycles as Joaquin and Fangs hung around and talked. They would probably also be heading back to Sunnyside in a little bit, once they were done flirting, to hookup.

“You wanna come over and help Noah out with homework?” Sweet Pea asked Toni suddenly. The girl shrugged.

“Sure.”

That’s how she found herself in Sweet Pea’s trailer less than ten minutes later. Noah, however, wasn’t home yet. His school got out a little later than Southside High, and usually he would walk over to the pawn shop, where their dad worked, and hang out there until they would both come home when the shop closed. Sweet Pea knew, though, that Toni hated her uncle’s trailer, so she would usually come here after school even if there was not real excuse to.

“Want some cereal?” Sweet Pea offered her as she sat down on the couch.

“Sure,” Toni agreed with a shrug, not one to turn down free food. As her best friend started pouring them each a bowl of cereal, she flipped on the TV and started skipping through channels.

“Oh hey,” Sweet Pea said suddenly, “what was up with Red yesterday? I ran into her at Pop’s and she asked where she could find you.”

“What?” Toni asked, suddenly stressed at the prospect of discussing this with Sweet Pea. Sure, she knew that Cheryl had spoken to him, but what exactly had she said? And what was Sweet Pea thinking?

He came into the living area and handed a bowl of honeycomb cereal to her. “She said you left something in her car on Friday? And I told her you worked at the Wyrm. Did she ever come by?”

“No,” Toni lied quickly, “no, maybe she showed up a few minutes after nine. I left right after work.”

Sweet Pea looked at her curiously, and she wondered if he could tell that she was lying. He knew her better than anyone, so she wouldn’t be surprised if he could tell, but she would also be surprised if he pushed her to tell the truth. “Okay. She seems… different, for a Northsider.”

“What do you mean?” Toni asked, genuinely curious as to Sweet Pea’s opinion of Cheryl. He shrugged, taking a bite of his cereal, and then started to answer her, mouth full. Toni glared at him, and he rolled his eyes, chewing and swallowing first.

“Like, she’s obviously rich and anyone with eyes can see that she’s smoking hot—”

“Don’t objectify her,” Toni snapped at him.

“Geez, come on, you don’t think she’s hot?”

“Didn’t say that.”

He shook his head. “You are ridiculous sometimes. _Anyway_ , she’s got all that going for her, but at the party on Friday she was just so… quiet. I don’t know, and she seemed pretty hostile when I offered to help her and then just… I don’t know. Not what I expected.”

“She was at the White Wyrm last week, remember?” Toni asked him.

“Was she? Wait—oh shit, you’re right.”

Toni nodded. “I had the unfortunate experience of having my first conversation with her after accidentally blowing smoke in her direction. It was very unpleasant. She seems to be just like any other Northside rich bitch to me.” She didn’t really believe that, but she wished that she did, because then it would mean that she didn’t somehow already care about this girl.

“She didn’t seem too bad on Friday.” Toni just shrugged. “What are you not saying?”

“Just drop it, dude,” Toni answered, sounding too snippy. He just shook his head and continued eating his cereal, and Toni did the same, focusing on the random documentary that was on the channel she’d ended up leaving the TV on.

The truth was, of course Toni thought Cheryl seemed somehow a little different from the typical Northside rich bitch stereotype. Of course, she _was_ a Northside rich bitch, but maybe there was more to it than that. And she was gorgeous, and Toni couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. She wouldn’t admit any of that to Sweet Pea, though.

Toni spent the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday wondering if Cheryl would text her. She’d had her number since Sunday, but Toni didn’t expect a text unless it had something to do with Heather, so she didn’t expect it to come super quickly. Still, she couldn’t help but wish that Cheryl would text.

Tuesday after school, she and Sweet Pea went over to Fangs’ trailer to start their history projects, and Felicity, Fangs’ sister, was home and offered to make them some chicken and rice. Felicity had always been like an older sister to Toni, at least for the past five or six years. Before that, Felicity had used to babysit her from time to time, and at that point, Toni had definitely had a little crush on the older girl. But now, she really thought of Fangs’ sister as her sister too.

They got a decent start on their projects and planned to work on them some more on Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Toni was happy to see that Tristan was out of the trailer, so she made herself some mac and cheese and settled into her room for an afternoon of a mix of studying and relaxing. It was then that she finally got a text from a certain redhead.

**Cheryl – Hey. I brought it up with her. She said “I guess” about whether she could imagine it, but said she doesn’t think it’s for her. But then she said she’d like to try experimenting in college…**

Toni was sprawled across her bed as she read the message, and it took her a second to remember what “it” was, and then she remembered that she’d told Cheryl to try bringing up the idea of dating a girl without using any hypotheticals.

**Toni – Ooh, yikes. Yeah, that’s probably not a good sign. Straight girls wanting to experiment are NOT a good idea.**

**Cheryl – What if she just… doesn’t know yet? Maybe she’d never thought about it before now.**

Toni let out a little huff, wishing that she could just get Cheryl to abandon this hope that something would happen between her and her best friend. Although, maybe Toni just wanted to hope that she was right about that, because if Heather was into Cheryl, the redhead wouldn’t need to keep talking to her. Shaking her head at that, she typed out her next response.

**Toni – Look, Red, if she’s never thought about it until now, she probably isn’t gay. I’m not trying to disappoint you, it just seems unlikely. Right?**

**Cheryl – Yeah. Just… it’s like you said, there aren’t many non-straight girls in Riverdale. So.**

**Toni – So it’s hard, trust me I know.**

**Cheryl – But you date guys too.**

**Toni – Yeah, and the guys of Riverdale suck. Especially on the Southside. They’re all a bunch of maniacs, honestly.**

**Cheryl – Funny, Heather seems to disagree. She’s swooning over Cody.**

**Toni – To be fair, I don’t know Cody that well. He’s a newer Serpent. I’m a Serpent by blood, so I grew up around the tightknit center of the gang.**

**Cheryl – So you’re saying that the center Serpents are all maniacs?**

**Toni – I’m saying the GUYS are. Don’t put words in my mouth, Red.**

Toni actually felt herself smiling a little at this point, forgetting about the Heather drama for a moment as she bantered with the Northsider.

**Cheryl – Oh my bad. How many girls are even in the Serpents?**

**Toni – Quite a few actually. Although, the Serpents are a bit sexist. The initiation for girls into the gang is like… really fucked up. I mean, it’s not as bad as getting beaten up by all your friends, but still.**

**Cheryl – Wait, I’m confused, what’s the initiation for girls? What’s the initiation for guys? I don’t know any of this stuff.**

Toni smirked. She had a feeling that Cheryl would lose what little respect she had for the Serpents, if she had any at all, when she found out what the women’s initiation was.

**Toni – Lol, I’ll tell you about it another time, Red. I don’t know if you’d look at me the same way once you find out.**

**Cheryl – Okay… whatever that means.**

**Cheryl – Anyway. What do I do about Heather?**

Now, Toni sighed again. Of course the conversation would circle back around to Heather, she expected that. She thought for a moment before replying.

**Toni – Um… I don’t know. If she’s not into girls, she’s not into girls. If you don’t wanna tell her about your feelings since it’ll risk your friendship, I still think the best thing to do is to leave it be. Try to stop having feelings for her.**

**Cheryl – How do you just stop having feelings for someone?**

**Toni – I told you on Sunday. Spend some time apart, hang out with other people. Try to find things about her that turn you off or that make her less good of a person. I’m sure that won’t be too hard. She’s a Northsider after all.**

**Cheryl – Wow, thanks for that.**

**Toni – No problem :)**

**Cheryl – You’re infuriating.**

Toni snickered.

**Toni – Well you keep talking to me, soooo…**

She waited expectantly for the response, wanting to keep up this banter that was actually entertaining. But no text came through, and Toni found herself clenching her jaw and rolling her eyes. Of course Cheryl would leave her hanging on that line.

Toni took it personally at first, feeling annoyed that Cheryl clearly didn’t want to actually talk to her—that she was doing it just to get out her feelings about Heather.

And over the next couple of days, Toni continued to take it personally, but started to dwell on it less. It wasn’t like it mattered, in the grand scheme of things. Cheryl was just a random Northsider anyway.

* * *

On Friday, Toni worked a shift right after school until nine. When she got off, she was headed to her motorcycle to head home when her phone suddenly buzzed with a text. As she straddled her bike, she pulled the device out of her pocket and let out a sigh when she read who it was from. Of course, none other than Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Are you busy?**

Toni couldn’t help but feel a little salty as she texted the girl back.

**Toni – Oh wow, you’re talking to me again. I thought I jinxed it last time and you decided Southside scum wasn’t worth your time.**

**Cheryl – I really need to get away from everything.**

That response surprised Toni a little, and she heard herself sigh as she gave in.

**Toni – Okay. Well. I can meet you behind the White Wyrm? But you should bring food to make it worth MY Time.**

**Cheryl – Deal.**

**Toni – I’ll meet you there, then.**

Toni had to admit that despite how annoyed she’d been from Cheryl not texting her back, she was excited to get a chance to hang out with the girl. She was so… interesting, captivating.

So she went back behind the Wyrm to her favorite hideaway, and settled in to relax until Cheryl arrived. She was feeling hungry, and she hoped that Cheryl would bring her something good, like pizza or a burger.

But when she finally heard movement in the alleyway and Cheryl ducked down through the hole, giving her a glance and murmuring, “Hi,” Toni was disappointed to see that she was empty handed.

“Hey what gives? I thought I was getting food.”

Cheryl stood up straight, stumbled over her feet, and hastily caught herself. “Yeah, I forgot.”

“How did you forget? We were texting like, not even fifteen minutes ago…” Upon another second of inspection, though, it was obvious that Cheryl was pretty drunk. Had she driven here? The thought twisted Toni’s stomach. She needed to sober the girl up as much as possible before she could send her home, because she had a feeling that Cheryl would refuse a ride or to stay over.

“I’m maybe a little drunk,” Cheryl told her unnecessarily.

“Oh really, I couldn’t tell.” Cheryl attempted to sit down, and almost lost her balance again before she did finally sit on the crate. “Well, you owe me food, alright?” Toni asked, getting a nod from the redhead. “So, what happened?”

“Nothing. Well, Heather is on a date. With Cody.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow. “Wow. When you said she was swooning over him, I didn’t realize that meant that they were like, legit dating.” She tried to picture Cody, or really any of the teenage straight guys in the Serpents, dating anyone seriously. “That’s kind of surprising coming from Cody. I don’t know him _that_ well, but I know that much.”

“You don’t think it’ll last?” Cheryl asked, sounding hopeful. Toni just shrugged, not wanting to tell Cheryl one way or the other. “Well,” the redhead continued, “I went to a party with Veronica, but I just… I can’t have fun. Not knowing what she’s doing, and knowing how I feel. I can’t have fun anymore.”

That made Toni frown. “Oh come on, you have to be able to have fun without her. A crush is one thing, Red, but you are describing severe codependency.” She was joking, but only a little bit. She could remember that feeling of being willing to do any and everything for Tasha, even if it meant giving up something she wanted to do. When she and Tasha were no longer friends, it had felt like she was missing a part of herself. Cheryl rolled her eyes at the slight joke, and Toni decided that she meant it more than she’d made it sound. “Hey, I’m being serious.”

Cheryl shook her head. “It’s not that I _can’t_ have fun without her. It’s just… I’m too upset to have fun.”

Toni sighed. Silence took over the air between them, and Toni tried to think of how she could occupy Cheryl for enough time for her to sober up a little bit. Part of her wanted this evening to be done already, because she was hungry, but she wasn’t going to let Cheryl drive home in this state. She would eat dinner later.

She spent another couple of minutes trying to decide what to do. Cheryl didn’t think she could have fun without Heather… so maybe Toni could prove to her that she was wrong. Letting out a breath and deciding that she had nothing to lose, she stood up. “Come on, Red.”

Cheryl looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows. “What? Where are we going?” Before Toni answered her, she stood up as well.

“We are going to have _fun_ , _without_ your friend,” Toni answered, a small smile on her face. Cheryl didn’t really seem to have strong feelings about this idea, but she followed Toni out of the hole. Once again, when she straightened up, the drunk girl stumbled a little, but Toni instinctively caught her hand, steadying her. It was the first time she’d touched Cheryl, and she let out a quiet little breath as she felt how soft and gentle those hands were.

She quickly released her though, busying herself with covering the hole up. She glanced both ways down the alley, trying to decide where they should go. Her options were limited at this time of night, so it wasn’t a hard decision, and she started to lead Cheryl further down the alley. They reached the street on the other side, and then Cheryl finally asked, “Where are we going?”

“You ever heard of the Twilight Drive-In?” Toni wondered, glancing at the beautiful girl. It was dark out, but the moonlight reflected off of Cheryl’s pale skin, making her almost glow.

“Um, I think so. Jughead Jones used to work there.”

Toni was a little surprised that Cheryl mentioned Jughead, although she figured that she shouldn’t be. Of course Cheryl knew him, it wasn’t like the Northside was all that big. Not to mention, his girlfriend Betty was on the cheer team, and Cheryl had mentioned that she was the head cheerleader. Bringing herself back to the moment, Toni nodded to confirm that Jughead did used to work at the drive-in. “Yeah. Until it closed last year. But, it’s basically been turned into a junkyard, nothing ever actually got taken down from it. So there’s still a screen, still a projector—”

Before she could continue, Cheryl asked, “So why aren’t we driving there?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve established that you are drunk, and you really shouldn’t have even driven all the way here. And I have a feeling that you don’t want me to drive your car?” Cheryl nodded in confirmation, getting a little laugh from Toni. “Plus, like I said, it’s basically been turned into a junk yard. It’s not place for cars anymore. Come on, Red.”

They twisted through the most run down part of the Southside, and Toni made sure to keep her eye out for Ghoulies, her hands in the pockets of her Serpent jacket. At one point, she actually did guide Cheryl a slightly longer way to get to the drive-in to avoid a typical late night Ghoulie area, knowing that this was not a good time for a run in with them. Cheryl didn’t seem to notice Toni staying so alert, though, and she didn’t look particularly concerned about wandering around the Southside. Probably it was from the alcohol, but Toni was still surprised.

They got to the chain-link fence that surrounded the drive-in, and Cheryl looked at it with a look of confusion. “How are we supposed to get in there?”

“Well, there’s a hole we can slip through, but it’s on the whole other side. So, it’s probably easier if we climb over.”

“Climb?” Cheryl demanded. “Did you already forget that I’m drunk?”

Toni laughed at that, because of course she hadn’t forgotten. She pushed some of her hair out of her face and told the girl, “I’ll go before you, so you can follow what I do, okay?” Cheryl still looked doubtful, but she took a step back, giving Toni space to climb. Toni grabbed onto the chain-link and stepped her right foot up, fitting it into one of the gaps. She climbed up a couple of steps, and then looked down at the redhead. “Just follow what I do, and when I get to the top, I’ll help you up the rest of the way. Getting down the other side is easy.”

“If you say so…” Cheryl took in a breath, and then Toni saw her finally starting to climb, so she continued up. She easily reached the top, and straddled the top of it so she could reach a hand down toward Cheryl. For the second time that night, her hand joined with Cheryl’s, and she gripped her strongly and pulled the girl up a little as she took the last step up, and Cheryl copied Toni, straddling the top of the fence. Toni released her hand so Cheryl could hold on to the fence.

The Northsider’s eyes fell closed as a cold breeze came through, pulling through their hair. Toni couldn’t help but stare as she watched Cheryl take in a deep breath, a small smile peeking at the corner of her lips. She looked so peaceful all of the sudden. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Toni asked quietly, and Cheryl shook her head, her eyes opening again and looking at her curiously. “So now, we jump down this side.”

Cheryl didn’t seem to like the sound of that. “We _jump_?” Toni grinned, hiking her leg up so she was facing the drive-in, and pushed herself off. She landed on both feet without any issue, and looked back up at the other girl, who looked terrified again.

“You coming or not, Red?”

Cheryl slowly copied Toni’s previous movements, took in a deep breath, and jumped. She was wearing heeled boots, Toni realized, so she figured that she would have a slightly harder time landing, and she was right. Cheryl stumbled a little, drunkenness probably not helping either, so Toni brought her hands to the girl’s shoulders, steadying her.

“Okay?” Toni asked, and Cheryl nodded. “Good. Come on.” She led Cheryl through the drive-in, which was familiar to her, but she knew that Cheryl would probably be disgusted by all the trash and junk around.

They went over to the old projection booth. Toni had always wanted to work here instead of the Wyrm, but it had been Jughead’s thing, and then it had closed. Still, she knew how to start the projector and change the film, but she was sure that a film was probably hooked up already. “What’s even here to play?” Cheryl wondered.

“I think mostly some old black and white movies that no one cares about,” Toni answered, half joking. She actually could appreciate old movies, but she knew that the lack of new movies was probably one of the reasons that the drive-in had gotten closed down. “I’m just gonna turn it on and see what plays, I think something is probably already hooked up to it.”

“How do you know how to work it?” Cheryl wondered, as Toni started to switch it on.

“I happen to be interested in film and photography,” Toni told her, glancing back at the girl for a second, “so I’m used to working with stuff like this.” It was true. She used to drag Sweet Pea to the junkyard to look for old film equipment, and she would take it apart and figure out how it all worked. There had been a film club at Southside High that she’d been a member of until it had been disbanded a year ago.

“Oh.” Toni laughed a little at the small response. Of course Cheryl wouldn’t expect Toni to have a real interest—she probably thought all Serpents did was sell drugs.

“Surprise,” Toni said, “I do things other than bartend and go to parties.” The movie finally started to play, and Toni smiled proudly. “Bingo! Come on, let’s get a good seat.”

Cheryl looked confused at the wording, but Toni just started away from the projection box and over to where she knew an old truck was sitting, its bed mostly cleared off. There was some more trash on it than the last time she’d been here, so she hopped up on it first and tossed some stuff out. Then she sat down with her back against the frame of the busted back window, and looked at Cheryl, patting the spot next to her.

“You coming or not, Red?”

Cheryl finally followed her, and came to sit next to the Serpent, then looking up at the black and white movie playing. It wasn’t old enough to be completely silent, but it was old enough that none of the characters spoke. “This is going to be a boring movie.”

Toni laughed a little, but she understood where Cheryl was coming from. As they sat there for a second, Toni realized just how weird this was. She was here at the Twilight Drive-In on the Southside with a rich girl from the Northside who, less than two weeks ago, had seemed to hate the idea of even talking to Toni. The thought of just how crazy this was made Toni want to get a little high. She glanced back at Cheryl. “Do you mind if I smoke?” Cheryl’s brow knit in concern. “What? It’s weed, not tobacco.” She recalled that first night in the Wyrm, when Cheryl had scolded Toni for smoking.

The redhead rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point, but go ahead, I guess.” Toni got out her joint and her lighter, eagerly taking a hit once it was lit. She blew out the smoke straight ahead of her, but Cheryl still turned her head away.

Toni watched Cheryl’s face as the girl watched the movie. “Have you ever tried it?” she heard herself ask suddenly, surprising Cheryl.

“What? Weed?” Toni nodded. “No, I haven’t.”

Toni offered her the joint. “Want to?” She could tell that Cheryl was hesitant, so she quickly added, “You don’t have to… but you said you wanted to have fun. But, _seriously_ , no pressure.” When Toni said that, Cheryl’s expression changed a little, and Toni couldn’t read it, but then the girl was taking the joint from her.

“Okay, so be careful that you don’t hold the smoke in too long, and it’s totally okay if you cough the first time, but you don’t wanna just inhale it… honestly it’s hard to explain.”

Cheryl didn’t seem to be paying attention anyway, and she slowly brought the joint toward her face, closing her red lips around it, and sucked in.

“Whoa, not too much, Red,” Toni told her. She laughed a little, but really, there was something… satisfying, almost intoxicating, about watching Cheryl take a hit off of _her_ joint. Cheryl lowered the joint, heeding Toni’s warning, and let the smoke out of her mouth. Toni bit on the inside of her lip, mentally scolding herself for being turned on. Surprisingly, the girl didn’t cough at all, despite it being her first time. “Wow, you sure you haven’t done that before?”

“I think I’d know if I had.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I just meant, you did it so smoothly. How was it?”

Cheryl shrugged. “Not too bad, actually.” She handed the joint back to Toni. “I don’t feel anything, though.”

“It’s like alcohol, it’ll take a little bit of time to make you feel anything.” Toni took another hit as Cheryl looked back toward the movie screen. Toni decided that two hits was probably enough for her, she shook the light out and put the joint back in the little bag she kept it in, pocketing it.

Cheryl looked really content, and Toni found herself smiling a little as she also tried to watch the movie, instead of watching Cheryl. After a little bit of time, the Northsider surprised her as she said, softly, “This is nice.”

Toni looked at her. “Yeah? Having fun?”

Cheryl smiled, and Toni decided that she wanted to see more of the girl smiling. “Actually, yes.”

“It’s the weed,” Toni joked.

“Definitely,” Cheryl agreed jokingly as well. Toni didn’t want to believe the weed was the whole reason that Cheryl was having a good time, but she shouldn’t care, so she left the conversation there.

For the rest of the movie, they sat in a comfortable silence that was occasionally interrupted by one of them making a joke about the characters in the movie. Toni started to feel incredibly hungry, realizing her mistake of smoking while not having had dinner yet. “Ready to head back?” Toni asked Cheryl, who nodded.

Then it was back to the Wyrm for them. She kept glancing at Cheryl, trying to assess how drunk she was. Her eyes looked a little less glassy, and she was much more steady on her feet. Toni wished she’d had water to give the girl. It had been a couple of hours, but she didn’t know how much Cheryl had had to drink before coming here.

“I don’t know if it’s a good idea if you drive, Red,” Toni told her when they reached the girl’s car and Toni’s motorcycle.

“Well I can’t leave my car here,” Cheryl stated obviously. “Don’t worry, I feel a little less drunk now, it’s been a while since I had any drinks.”

Toni nodded, chewing on the inside of her lip. “Alright, but this is the _only_ time I’m _ever_ letting you drive drunk. Okay? Next time, ask me, and I’ll pick you up or something.”

“Yeah, good luck getting me to get on that death trap,” Cheryl deadpanned, looking over at the bike.

“That’s interesting, coming from the girl whose car has died at least two times in the past couple of weeks,” Toni bit back, her eyebrow lifting. Cheryl laughed at that, shaking her head, and Toni smiled a little. She felt like this was the most carefree she’d seen Cheryl so far, and she was happy to have been a part of that.

“Okay. I should go.”

“Don’t forget you owe me food, Red,” Toni reminded her.

“I won’t,” Cheryl called back as she got into her car. Toni watched the red car come to life and drive off as she got onto her motorcycle. Before putting on her helmet and leaving, she grabbed her phone and shot a text to the girl.

**Toni – Tell me when you get home, so I know that you didn’t wreck your beautiful car.**

She was trying to be a good friend, of course.

Cheryl might be the most beautiful person that Toni had ever laid eyes on, but that didn’t mean that she had to develop feelings for her.

She rode her motorcycle back to Sunnyside and silently slipped into her trailer. Unfortunately for her, her uncle was sitting in the living room.

“What are you doing getting back here so late?” Tristan snapped at her.

“The Wyrm was busy,” Toni lied, “so I worked late.”

“What if I’d been asleep—you would’ve woken me up. Would it kill you to be a little grateful for the fact that I let you live here?” he demanded.

“Sorry,” Toni apologized half-heartedly. She usually tried to play nice with him, because sometimes they wouldn’t go into full fight mode if she did. But sometimes she had to fight back. “I am grateful.”

“You fucking better be,” he snapped, “because you don’t know how much I’ve sacrificed to take care of your lazy ass.”

Toni clenched her fist, but reigned her anger in. “I’ll just go to bed, so I don’t bother you. Goodnight.” He grunted, and Toni tried not to roll her eyes, walking down the short hallway to her room. She dropped her stuff there and then slipped into the bathroom to quickly wash her face and brush her teeth. She would have to shower in the morning if she didn’t want to risk pissing off her uncle.

Once she was done in the bathroom, she went back into her bedroom and realized that she still hadn’t eaten anything. Letting out a breath, she glanced at her window and then grabbed her phone to text her best friend.

**Toni – Hey. Sorry to bother you, but I just got home from work and my uncle is here, he’s pissed that I’m back so late even though it’s not even midnight. I told him I’d just go to bed so I didn’t bother him, but I just realized I forgot dinner.**

Sweet Pea’s response came immediately.

**Sweet Pea – Say no more, I’ll be at your window in a minute with some dinner.**

**Toni – Thanks dude. You’re a lifesaver.**

**Sweet Pea – I know.**

Toni relaxed a little now, and then her phone buzzed with another text, this one from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – I’m home.**

**Toni – Good. Get some sleep, Red.**

**Cheryl – Yeah, I will.**

Toni set her phone down, feeling relieved that Cheryl got home safely. She really hated that she’d let Cheryl drive drunk, but she also knew that Cheryl wouldn’t have let her do anything to prevent it.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed again.

**Cheryl – Thank you for tonight.**

Toni bit the inside of her lip as she smiled.

**Toni – You’re welcome.**

No response came, so Toni assumed that Cheryl was going to bed. She went over to her window and slid it open expectantly. About a minute later, she saw Sweet Pea jogging over toward her window from his trailer, a grocery bag tied at the top in his hand. Toni leaned out her window as he came up.

“Delivery for Tiny Topaz,” Sweet Pea teased, keeping his voice quiet so that Toni’s uncle wouldn’t hear.

“You’re the best,” Toni told him.

“Well, I know how Tristan gets. Were you really at work this late?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Uh—no,” Toni admitted. “Uh, remember that Northsider, Red?” Sweet Pea nodded. “She came by the Wyrm to drop off what I’d left in her car last weekend.” Toni lied. “She was drunk and she’d driven there, so I hung out for a while until she sobered up a little.”

Sweet Pea nodded slowly. “You two like, friends?”

“No,” Toni insisted, “not at all. I barely know her.”

Her friend shrugged. “Alright, well. Tupperware of some leftover chicken my dad made tonight, also a PB&J, and some chips.” He handed the bag up to the window.

“Thanks, Sweets,” she said gratefully. “I really appreciate it.”

“C’mon, you know you don’t need to thank me. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“’Course,” Toni confirmed with a smile, then saying goodbye as Sweet Pea headed back home. Toni quickly closed her window and settled onto her bed with her dinner. Her stomach growled hungrily as she opened up the Tupperware of reheated fried chicken. It was probably crispy made in the oven, but it had clearly been heated up in a microwave, so the breading was soggy. Of course, Toni didn’t care, she dug in anyway.

When she was finally satiated, she realized that she needed to go brush her teeth again, but she didn’t want to risk pissing off her uncle. Sighing, she just changed in pajamas and drank some water, swishing it around her mouth before swallowing it. It would have to do for now.

She curled up in her bed, her thoughts swirling about the evening she’d had with Cheryl. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to the Northsider, but she would continue to suppress having any actual feelings for her for as long as she could. The problem was that the more she hung out with Cheryl, the more Toni noticed her becoming nicer, not bitchier. It was unexpected for sure.

Trying to push her thoughts away, she let her eyes fall closed as she pulled her blanket up to her chin, finally allowing herself to be pulled into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being here, any and all comments always appreciated <3 If you're interested in chatting, hit me up on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories and I always love to chat <3 Have a great week, guys, I'll see you all on Wednesday with the new chapter! x


	5. messing with your head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni is figuring out her feelings toward Cheryl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening lovelies!  
> I haven't seen the new Riverdale (should I say Tonidale??) so please no spoilers!  
> But I am here with an update, so please do enjoy <3

Toni woke up on Saturday with the area in between her legs throbbing slightly. Groaning, she stretched her hand down between her thighs, slipping her fingers underneath her underwear. Sure enough, there was wetness there. She couldn’t remember her dream—she usually couldn’t remember dreams—but she had a good feeling as to what she’d probably dreamt about.

She let out a breath, recalling that she was free this morning, and then pressed her fingers into her folds. Her body, despite being sluggish from just waking up, reacted immediately. She massaged her clit, teasing her opening with her fingers and bit down on her lower lip. Flashes of images, probably from her dream, went through her mind. Flashes of pale skin and red hair…

Toni gasped as she felt herself get close, and slid her fingers into herself as she brought herself to climax. She rode it out as silently as she could, and then let out a breath as she relaxed onto the bed. She felt slight guilt in her chest at who she had been picturing, but forced her eyes open and shook her head a little.

After dragging herself out of bed and eating a small breakfast—noticing that her uncle was nowhere to be seen—Toni decided to go for a jog before she showered and readied herself for the day. She didn’t go running often, but after that dream, she needed it. She couldn’t stop thinking about Cheryl.

As she jogged, she repeatedly reminded herself who Cheryl was, and what Cheryl needed her for. She needed advice and someone to talk to, but she was the only person on the Southside that Cheryl would probably ever willingly interact with. Cheryl wasn’t just from a different world, she despised Toni’s world. And as hot and beautiful as she was, Toni couldn’t let her mind go there. She just _couldn’t_.

The jog, followed by a cold shower, helped bring Toni back to reality, and then she went over to Sweet Pea’s, desperate for a distraction. Thankfully, Noah was there struggling with homework, so she busied herself with helping him until she had to go to work.

When she did leave for work, as she started to drive out of Sunnyside on her motorcycle, she noticed a group of Serpents riding toward her. She slowed as the leader of the group—FP, of course—did so as well.

“Toni, tell Hog Eye to be expecting a whole lotta us tonight!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“What’s the occasion?” Toni asked, raising her voice so he could hear her through her helmet.

“Looks like we’re gonna get a big payday this week,” FP called back, revving his engine in celebration. A bunch of the other Serpents did as well, so Toni chuckled as she revved her engine, and then nodded at FP and started off toward the Wyrm. A big payday basically meant that the load of weed they had just brought into town was bigger than expected. It was always good news.

And FP was not wrong about the number of Serpents who came into the Wyrm that night. This was the first time in a couple of months that anything so big had happened, so almost every Serpent came to the bar that night. Toni found herself working a lot more, but also having a pretty good time as she talked to and joked around with her friends. Around closing time, Hog Eye decided to keep the bar open until two-thirty. Toni didn’t even notice how tired she was, because of how good of a time she was having.

At the new closing time, Hog Eye basically had to shove everyone out of the Wyrm, and then there was a lot more cleanup than usual. At nearly three in the morning, Toni finally drove herself home. Her uncle’s bedroom door was closed when she arrived, so she very quietly ate a quick dinner, got ready for bed, and then shut herself in her room.

She plugged her phone in and curled up in bed, very much ready for sleep, and then heard her phone vibrate. She planned to ignore it, until it buzzed four more times immediately after. Letting out a breath, she grabbed her phone.

**Cheryl – I fucked up.**

**Cheryl – You’re probably asleep. Sorry.**

**Cheryl – I’m in Heather’s bed right now. She’s asleep next to me.**

**Cheryl – Wait, that sounds bad. Nothing happened. I’m just sleeping over here.**

**Cheryl – But I can’t sleep.**

Toni bit down on the inside of her lip. She didn’t want to be at this girl’s beck and call, and she didn’t want Cheryl to think that she was available twenty-four seven, but she did want to help the redhead…

She had a feeling that she was making a bad decision as she decided to text Cheryl back.

**Toni – Not asleep, don’t worry. Just got home from work. It was a really late night. Big Serpent party, lots of cleanup.**

**Toni – Sorry you can’t sleep. That kind of thing happens when you let yourself get in that kind of situation, lol.**

**Cheryl – I tried to tell her I should go home, but she pouted and I’ve never been able to say no to that.**

**Toni – No offense to your friend, but she sounds kind of manipulative.**

**Cheryl – Why do you say that??**

Toni rolled her eyes—how could Cheryl not see it?

**Toni – I don’t know… you’re always there for her, right? How often is she there for you?**

**Cheryl – Always. That’s how being best friends work. Take tonight for example. I told her I’d been feeling lonely this week, and she dropped everything to hang out with me.**

Toni let out a huff of frustration. She knew that Cheryl had a crush on Heather, but she couldn’t believe that Cheryl seemed oblivious about how Heather seemed to give much less in their friendship than Cheryl did.

**Toni – And in exchange? You’re going to stand on the sidelines while she continues to get happier and happier with her new boyfriend, right? And every now and then, she’s going to show you the perfect amount of attention to make you forget how shitty you’ve been feeling, and then you’ll feel better. Until you don’t again.**

**Cheryl – You don’t know anything about her.**

Toni was too tired to deal with this, she realized, and if this conversation continued any longer, she was going to say something she would regret. Instead of letting it drag on, she quickly ended it.

**Toni – Whatever you say, Red.**

**Toni – I need to sleep. Next time you text me, it better be to tell me that you’re getting me the food you owe me.**

She knew she sounded a little harsh, but she didn’t feel bad. She had boundaries, and Cheryl needed to know them.

**Cheryl – Okay, sorry. Goodnight.**

Toni let out a gentle breath.

**Toni – Night.**

She plugged her phone back in and left it on her nightstand before curling up and finally getting to sleep.

* * *

When Toni woke up the next morning, she looked back on her texts with Cheryl and felt a little bad about how snappy she’d sounded. At the same time, though, she’d meant what she said. Cheryl owed her food, and it wasn’t like the redhead didn’t have the means to follow through with that, so Toni would be withholding her advice until the debt was paid.

She wasn’t expecting that to happen anytime soon.

Toni ended up back at Sweet Pea’s trailer after getting ready in the morning, because she heard her uncle in his room and didn’t want to risk being in any of the common spaces when he finally came out.

“How was your late night?” Sweet Pea asked her as she settled onto his couch.

“Busy,” Toni answered, “but hey, late nights mean extra cash, and you’ll never hear me complain about that.”

Sweet Pea bobbed his head in a nod as he opened his fridge. “Anything in particular sound good for lunch?”

“What are the options?” Toni asked.

“Leftover mac and cheese… leftover Chinese takeout—I think my dad brought that home last night…”

Toni tuned him out as her phone buzzed with a surprising text message.

**Cheryl – What do you want for lunch, and where do you want to meet me for it?**

“—Dude, are you listening to me?”

“Sorry,” Toni said quickly, “I actually just got reminded that I have somewhere to be for lunch.”

“You never have somewhere to be for lunch,” Sweet Pea said skeptically. He started over to where Toni was seated on the couch.

“Well, I do today,” Toni said, hoping he wouldn’t push her on this.

**Toni – One of those Pop’s burgers will suffice. And fries, those were good.**

Sweet Pea flopped onto the couch suddenly, looking at Toni’s phone before she could think to hide it. “Cheryl?” he asked in surprise.

“She owes me lunch,” Toni snapped at him, turning so that her phone was facing away from her friend as she quickly sent a follow up message.

**Toni – We can meet behind the Wyrm again?**

**Cheryl – Okay, I’ll be there in like thirty minutes.**

“What do you mean she owes you lunch?” Sweet Pea asked. “I thought you two weren’t friends?”

“We aren’t,” Toni denied, “but I waited for her to sober up on Friday night when she came to the Wyrm, and she said she’d buy me lunch.”

“How long have you had her phone number?”

“Since then,” Toni lied. Sweet Pea lifted his eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re not good at lying to me,” Sweet Pea insisted. “I know you’re not telling me the whole truth. Come on, Tiny. She’s hot, you’re into her, admit it.”

Toni scoffed. “No! That’s not true. She owes me lunch, what am I going to do, reject the offer of free food?”

“I thought you were the one saying like, a matter of days ago that she’s just a typical Northside rich bitch? If you were right, do you really want to be accepting free meals from her?” Sweet Pea asked.

“This is really none of your business,” Toni snapped, standing up and pocketing her phone.

“Okay, wait, Toni,” Sweet Pea said quickly, standing as well, “I’m sorry. I was the one saying she didn’t seem all that bad, remember? I’m just playing devil’s advocate here—using the viewpoint that _you_ had about this girl a couple of days ago. I just want you to be careful, you know? I care about you, and I know you’ve never really trusted Northsiders—hell, most of us don’t usually trust Northsiders, at least not the ones who are part of a huge, rich family like the Blossoms. I just want you to make sure you know that whatever you’re doing is a _good_ idea.”

“There’s nothing that I’m _doing_ ,” Toni insisted, “except for accepting free food from her.”

“Okay. You know I would never judge you, Tiny. I’m just trying to have your back—like I know you would do for me,” Sweet Pea told her.

Suddenly, one of the bedroom doors swung open, and Sweet Pea’s dad sauntered out of his room. “Hey, Toni,” he greeted, “couldn’t help but overhear this conversation…”

Toni groaned, running a hand through her hair.

“If you want my two cents, Northsiders are almost always a bad idea. Look at Alice Cooper. She was in with the Serpents once, but she was from the Northside, and the Northside won over—she left FP and married a Northsider. Northsiders have left Southsiders for other Northsiders countless times,” he told them, “even happened to me once.”

Toni let out a breath. “Thank you for the advice… but nothing is going on, seriously.” Toni paused for a second. “Plus, she’s straight anyway.” A blatant lie, but Toni couldn’t let anyone who knew who Cheryl was think that she wasn’t straight—that would be almost as bad as straight up admitting that she wasn’t. Toni wasn’t about to out anyone.

“Good,” Sweet Pea’s dad said with a firm nod.

“Anyway… I should go,” Toni said. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Sweets.”

“See you, Tiny!”

Toni left the trailer and went to get on her motorcycle and head to the Wyrm. She definitely felt a little on edge, after her conversation with Sweet Pea and his dad, but she wouldn’t let it bother her. It wasn’t like it mattered—sure, Cheryl was hot, but that didn’t mean anything about Toni’s _feelings_.

She got to the alley behind the Wyrm, and the hole was visible, telling Toni that Cheryl was already there. She ducked into the little space, and noticed Cheryl jump a little in surprise. “I didn’t think you’d beat me here,” Toni said as she stood up straight, looking over at the food that was set on the crate Toni usually sat on. Along with a bag of food was a to-go milkshake cup. “You got me a shake?”

“I didn’t know what you liked,” Cheryl answered, “so I got you vanilla.”

Toni felt a warmth in her chest a little at the idea that Cheryl got her a milkshake, but she knew that the redhead was probably just paying her back for texting so late. “Vanilla is good, thanks,” she said, going over to the crate and picking up her food so she could sit down.

“I wanted to make up for texting you so late last night,” Cheryl told her, confirming what Toni had already figured. “I probably wasn’t in the best headspace. Some shit happened yesterday.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Toni asked, relaxing as she started to eat.

“I guess so. This football player—Chuck Clayton—he made a comment about how I don’t hook up with guys very often. He implied that I might be gay…” Cheryl took in a breath. “And then he told me that if I ever wanted a guy to ‘do me right,’ I could call him. And when I told him I wouldn’t ever dream of calling him… he said something crude, and, ugh, it was _infuriating_.”

Toni furrowed her eyebrows. “Damn.” Something inside her bubbled up in frustration, maybe something like protectiveness, as stupid as it was. “That’s rough. I’m sorry… he sounds like an asshole.”

“He is,” Cheryl agreed. “We’re putting him on blast to the school, though, so he’ll get what he deserves.”

The protectiveness Toni was feeling dissipated a little as Cheryl said that so evenly, not even sounding upset anymore. Toni raised an eyebrow. “You know, you’re kind of scary.”

“I try,” Cheryl told her. There was a brief moment of silence as they ate a little more food, and then Cheryl continued speaking. “Anyway, then I went over to Heather’s and had to sit through all the stuff about her date with Cody. But then she asked why I’d been kind of spacey this week, I told her I was feeling lonely, so we went out to a movie and stayed up late eating pizza and hanging out, and then she asked if I wanted to just stay the night. And I said no, but…”

As Cheryl trailed off a little, Toni picked up with, “Yeah, I remember this part of the story. I’m telling you, Red. That’s manipulation.”

“It’s not manipulation if I _know_ about it,” Cheryl argued, and Toni didn’t understand that. Cheryl couldn’t really understand the manipulation going on if she was okay with it, it didn’t make any sense. Toni clenched her jaw as her eyebrows furrowed.

“That makes no sense. It’s manipulation if she does something knowing that she’s going to get her way, and if it takes advantage of you.”

“It doesn’t take advantage of me!”

Toni sighed, disagreeing but not feeling like it was worth it to debate that point. “If you say so.”

Cheryl still looked a little irritated. “You do not know Heather like I do, Toni. We’ve been best friends since we were _five_. She stood up for me when I used to get bullied for being a ‘ginger’ in elementary school. And she used to play with me and my brother Jason all the time, and she always took my side instead of his. And when he tried to date her, she chose me over him. That was a big deal. I trust her.”

“Okay, fine,” Toni said, her tone a little short. She took a sip of her milkshake. “You trust her and she’s great and has no flaws, I get it.”

Now, Cheryl rolled her eyes, but she didn’t look as irritated, more confused than anything. “I didn’t say she has no flaws.”

“What are her flaws then, Red?” Toni asked, ready to be amused.

It took Cheryl a few moments—moments Toni spent observing the girl’s perfect features, plump red stained lips, soft looking red hair. “I mean,” Cheryl said finally, “she’s too trusting of her heart with boys. She puts her whole self out there like after one date, and it always bites her back later.”

“Okay,” Toni said with a slight nod. “What else?”

“I don’t know?” Cheryl answered, but despite the answer, she kept talking immediately. “She’s not the best at school. I’m on track to be valedictorian, but she’s nowhere close.” Toni couldn’t say she was totally surprised to hear that Cheryl was good at school, but she still was a little bit. Cheryl definitely seemed smart, but knowing that she was rich and from a powerful family, she probably didn’t need to be to be successful.

“What else?”

Cheryl’s eyebrows knit together. “I don’t know…” A pause. “Some of the Vixens say that she’s not very friendly, but she’s never come off that way to me.”

“What do they say makes her not very friendly?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t really talk to many people. She says they’re not worth her time.”

Toni snorted. Heather was definitely a typical Northside rich bitch. “Yeah, she sounds like a bitch.”

Cheryl’s gaze narrowed into a glare. “For that? Some people aren’t worth my time either, that’s not weird.”

Toni huffed a little, reminding herself that yes, Cheryl was also one of those Northside rich bitches, even if sometimes she didn’t seem like it. “Yeah,” Toni said, “but when some people is your whole cheerleading squad, or the whole general populace, it’s fucked up. Any other flaws, or is she otherwise perfect?”

Cheryl sighed, but surprisingly she continued. “I guess she could be better about asking how I’m doing. We saw each other every day all week, and she didn’t notice that I wasn’t doing the best until yesterday.” Toni nodded, watching Cheryl’s expression become more serious. Those dark eyes dropped down to her lap. “Jason thinks that she’s the reason that the two of us aren’t close anymore. I always thought of it as his fault, for asking her out, but even if it wasn’t… I don’t think it was her fault either. Mine, maybe… because I was angry at him. She chose me over him, so I chose her over him.”

Toni let out a slow breath. “She shouldn’t have made you choose. I think she should’ve kept her distance from him to respect you, but it shouldn’t have pulled you away from him.”

Cheryl’s gaze returned to Toni, and Toni noticed her staring for a few moments, looking over her. Toni wondered what she was thinking. “Maybe. But I doubt she did that on purpose.” Toni shrugged, not sure what to say at this point. Cheryl frowned. “She’s not a bad person.”

“Everyone is bad for someone,” Toni argued, “even if they’re not a bad person.”

Cheryl sighed, poking at her food a little more and taking a small bite. “I just can’t look at her that way,” she said a second later. “It’s like it’s not possible.”

“I get that,” Toni said quietly, realizing that the situation Cheryl was describing was sort of similar to how Toni felt about Cheryl. She kept wanting to see past the surface, to see whether Cheryl was actually more than just the Northsider that Toni should assume she was. She wanted to believe that being able to see Cheryl feeling vulnerable that first night in the Wyrm, when Cheryl didn’t even know she was watching, was indication that there was more to Cheryl. And even though the general advice from people she knew would be to stay away, she couldn’t help but want to know more. “That’s happened to me before,” Toni continued, “someone tells you that the person you’re talking to is a really bad idea, that they’ll hurt you.” Their gazes met. “But you just can’t stay away. The thought of ‘what if?’ is… too strong.”

Cheryl nodded. “Yeah, it’s exactly that.” Their gazes held for a moment, and then Toni finally pulled hers away, and they went back to eating. Toni wasn’t sure that the conversation was going to start up again, and she half expected Cheryl to not talk until she was ready to leave. But then, Cheryl asked, “What kind of stuff do you like to photograph?”

Toni was so surprised that it took a second for her to answer. She definitely did not think that Cheryl remembered anything Toni had said about herself. “Ah, mostly people,” Toni admitted. “I like… people watching and taking pictures. But I don’t have a nice camera—I only get to use the school one on the school premises if I check it out, but they don’t let people check it out very often, and it’s really fucking old. So, I don’t get to take pictures as often as I want.”

Cheryl tilted her head. “What about your phone?”

Shrugging, Toni said, “It’s kind of old too, so the camera isn’t the best. But I do try and take photographs every now and then. But I don’t get a lot of time to. I work a lot when I’m not doing school stuff.”

“Right, yeah.” Toni could tell that Cheryl was thinking about something, and then the girl asked, “So… you live at Sunnyside?”

“Yep, born and raised,” Toni joked, before clarifying, “Literally, though, my mom gave birth to me _in_ a trailer.”

“What a warm welcome into the world,” Cheryl joked, and Toni couldn’t fight the amused smile that came to her face. Cheryl smiled as well, and Toni felt her heart skip a beat.

“Oh yeah, it was great,” she agreed with a laugh. “Yeah. But now I live with my uncle. My parents are… well, let’s just say _absent_. So I live with my uncle, but he’s not really _present_ either. Which is good. When he actually comes home for a while, my life turns to hell, so I prefer it when he’s gone. And since I started working at the Wyrm, I don’t even need him around for food money or anything.”

Cheryl nodded slowly. “Although I can’t relate on the money issue, I can definitely relate in the terrible family department.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? I bet you can’t top my parents’ story.”

“I’m not saying I have it worse,” Cheryl insisted, “not that I would know, since you stuck with ‘let’s just say _absent_.’ Obviously, my parents still support me financially, but that’s about it, and that’s pretty much all I want from them anyway. My brother and I, we’re twins. But he was, and _is_ , the kid they wanted. So he gets dote on, and I’m always on the sidelines. They don’t talk to him about curfew or grades… or anything. Meanwhile, I’m _always_ under scrutiny.”

Toni frowned, hearing the hurt in Cheryl’s voice as she explained her family situation. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.” Hearing that, Toni felt it tug at her heart. That protectiveness bubbled up again, and she tried to suppress it. “In fact, I’m in the middle of avoiding going home right now. I’m in trouble for not coming home last night. If I wait a while before I go home, they’ll calm down. So.”

Hoping to lighten up the conversation, Toni joked, “So _that’s_ why you brought me lunch.”

“You caught me.”

“Well,” Toni said, realizing that it was her turn to open up, after Cheryl surprisingly did so first, “my parents had some shitty things happen to them because of drug and alcohol addiction. They got into really bad situations all the time, and it landed them both in jail. Which is for the best, honestly. They were sort of ruining my life. I used to babysit Sweet Pea’s little brother when he was younger, and I would make like, then bucks every time, and my parents would always take it to use toward drugs. They spent _all_ their money on drugs and dealing drugs for more money to put toward buying drugs. There were some times where I had one meal in like, three days… because they couldn’t afford to go buy any food.”

Toni looked at Cheryl as she finished speaking, and the girl looked shocked at the admissions. There was no doubt in Toni’s mind that Cheryl had never heard a first hand account like this before. “That’s horrible,” Cheryl whispered sadly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Toni said with a shrug. “They didn’t love me. I didn’t love them. I don’t miss them. I’m happier being mostly on my own, and I have Sweet Pea’s family… they’re basically my family by now.”

“That’s good,” Cheryl agreed, “I’m glad that you have someone.”

Toni nodded, surprised at the caring tone in Cheryl’s voice. “Yeah, it’s good that I have them.” She cleared her throat, realizing how deep this conversation had gotten. “But, uh, yeah. That’s why the Serpents have always been so important to me. They’re a support group, a family, that I wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Cheryl tilted her head. “I never thought I’d hear a gang be described as a support group.” Toni laughed a little and rolled her eyes. “My support group has always just been…”

“Heather,” Toni finished for her, realizing that this conversation had come full circle. Something told Toni that meant that this was going to be the end of the lunch. “Yeah, I get it, Red. I’m sorry you’re stuck in this shit.”

Cheryl shrugged. “I’ll survive.”

Toni let out a breath, gathering up her trash. “Thanks for lunch. Consider your food debt paid.”

“You’re welcome.”

They gathered up all of the trash and left the little space and the alley, going back to the Wyrm and tossing their trash into the can outside the bar.

Cheryl glanced over at Toni. “I guess I’ll see you…”

“The next time you need to rant?” Toni asked before she could stop herself. To make it clear that she wasn’t being entirely serious, she smiled a little and lifted her eyebrows.

“I was just going to say _later_ ,” Cheryl countered.

Toni smirked at that. “Yeah, I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Toni.”

“Bye, Red.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to update this for ~2.5 hours but I was watching a movie with my friends via Discord while rereading it lmfao but glad I managed to get it out <3
> 
> I hope you all are having a good week, I will see you with the next chapter on Friday <3


	6. (you've got) rose-colored glasses, all distorted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni is finding herself getting closer to a certain Northsider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening! I am so sorry this is so late, I had a loooong day and played some Sims to wind down and lost track of time haha!  
> This chapter has the first never-before-seen Choni moments - in the form of texts, but still :P
> 
> Also, sorry I didn't answer comments on the last chapter - since it's late I wanted to get this up asap and this was a long chapter to read through.
> 
> Enjoy, lovelies <3

Toni felt like she and Cheryl had made a lot of progress after their lunch on Sunday, and she found herself thinking that maybe she wasn’t crazy for thinking that there was more to Cheryl than the obvious. Cheryl had been interested to hear about Toni’s life, and she hadn’t just judged it and dismissed it, as Northsiders tended to do. She’d listened, and Toni had felt heard.

For the rest of Sunday, Toni found herself wondering where it left her and Cheryl. She knew that she was overthinking it, but she couldn’t help it. When she was around Cheryl… she felt so present, like there was nothing else to think about other than the beautiful redhead and whatever their conversation was.

The next day—Monday—while Toni was at school, she received a text from Cheryl after lunch that surprised her.

**Cheryl – Heather won’t shut up about Cody—that guy can’t be that special, right?**

**Toni – He’s about as special as any other Serpent guy… which uh, is ranking pretty low if you ask me. Sucks that you have to endure that.**

**Cheryl – Oh well. You out of lunch already? Southside High has a different schedule than RH.**

**Toni – Yeah, we just finished lunch. I endured a full half hour of listening to Sweet Pea tell me all about this band he discovered, and detailing everything about their most recent album.**

**Cheryl – Haha wow. Well, you do have a lot of patience.**

**Toni – Somehow, it does seem that way.**

The conversation had ended there, for whatever reason, Cheryl hadn’t responded, but Toni didn’t even care. The conversation had felt so natural, even if short, that she was just happy it had happened at all.

Similar text conversations happened throughout the whole week.

Tuesday it started out with Heather again.

**Cheryl – I really don’t think Heather actually knows anything about Cody. The only ways she describes him is “sweet” and “strong” and “funny” and doesn’t ever actually say anything substantial.**

**Toni – Not surprising. It’s not like she could understand him if he opened up to her about his life.**

**Cheryl – It’s not our fault that we can’t understand what goes on at the Southside.**

**Toni – No, but a lot of you don’t even try.**

**Cheryl – You’re not wrong.**

**Cheryl – How’s class? What class do you have after lunch anyway?**

**Toni – It’s fine, I have English. We’re reading Brave New World, but I already finished the book.**

**Cheryl – I enjoyed that book when we read it. It was kind of intense, though.**

**Toni – Of course it is, it’s a book about a dystopian society. And you’ve got people up at the top, pulling all the strings, conditioning the lower class people to be better at not being on top. Fucked up shit.**

**Cheryl – You’re not wrong. Dystopian books like that are always really dark.**

**Toni – Why am I getting the vibe that you like dark books?**

**Cheryl – I might…**

At that point, Toni’s teacher pulled out a pop quiz, and Toni had to pocket her phone.

On Wednesday, it was during her lunch, when Cheryl must’ve still been in class.

**Cheryl – Not mentally prepared to go to lunch today and listen to MORE talk about you-know-who.**

**Toni – Is you-know-who Cody? Because I can assure you, he’s nothing like Voldemort.**

**Cheryl – Toni! We do not speak his name.**

Sweet Pea interrupted Toni’s texting. “Dude, what are you doing? You’re missing my amazing review of… wait, what was the movie called Fangs?”

Toni just rolled her eyes and looked back down at her phone.

**Toni – You like Harry Potter?**

**Cheryl – I’ll admit, I always found them enjoyable to read. But, let’s just say that Blossom children do not entertain the ideas of foolery like magic. So I got to read a couple of books when I would hide away in my middle school library… but now I don’t have time to go to the library at Riverdale High. But I have seen all the movies—thanks to Heather actually.**

**Toni – Wow, she actually contributed good to society?! Amazing!**

**Cheryl – Ha, ha. We used to watch a lot of movies in 8 th and 9th grade.**

“Earth to Toni,” Fangs said, getting Toni’s attention for a second. “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking out of reality, because this school is hell and I wish I wasn’t here,” Toni deadpanned, looking back to her screen and beginning to type a response to Cheryl.

**Toni – I love movies. When I was little, especially when my parents were out and I was home alone, I would play movies and then pause them in the middle of scenes and yell CUT! And start giving instructions like I was the director. Then I would rewind a minute or two, watch it back, and pretend like it went any differently thanks to me.**

**Cheryl – Oh. My. God. I wish I could witness young Toni doing that. Do you still want to direct?**

**Toni – I don’t know, maybe. I’m really interested in the actual filmmaking process, but I suppose directing is wrapped up in that.**

**Cheryl – Filmmaking sounds interesting. I don’t know much about it.**

Sweet Pea had interrupted her again after that, so Toni had pocketed her phone and resolved herself to texting Cheryl back again later. Unfortunately, since she wasn’t really used to texting Cheryl first, she forgot for the rest of the day.

So Thursday morning, sitting in her second period class, where she was at least two lectures ahead of the class, she decided to take the initiative.

**Toni – Filmmaking is very interesting. There’s a lot more that goes into it than just cameras and actors and directors. Sorry, I forgot to respond to you yesterday after Sweet Pea very rudely distracted me.**

**Cheryl – No worries. I was pretty busy after school anyway, with Vixens practice, and then Heather came over. She’s been busy with Cody the past few days so it was nice to see her. We just worked on homework though, and then she went home.**

**Toni – Exciting lol.**

**Cheryl – What class are you in right now?**

**Toni – My second period is American History. Gotta love learning the same shit they drilled into us all through elementary and middle school, huh?**

**Cheryl – I find European History to be a much more interesting class. There’s so much more to learn about.**

**Toni – Not to mention, it’s a lot darker, and you’re creepy and like that shit, right?**

**Cheryl – Ha.**

**Toni – Lol, Southside High doesn’t offer European History. I took World History last year, but the teacher who teaches that class couldn’t give a shit about history. Most of the time, he put on shitty movies and expected us to learn from them.**

**Cheryl – That sucks. I never thought about the fact that you guys have fewer classes offered at Southside High than we do at Riverdale High.**

**Toni – Well, that’s because you’re accustomed to your privilege. You’re never forced to realize that it’s not the same as everyone else.**

**Cheryl – Yeah.**

Toni couldn’t tell if Cheryl’s short response was one of awkwardness or more of something like sadness, so she decided to just move the conversation along.

**Toni – So what class are YOU in? European History?**

**Cheryl – No, this is my pre-calculus class. I hate math in the morning, but thankfully I already finished this week’s homework, so I’m a little ahead.**

**Toni – Oh yeah, you said something about how you’re super smart, huh? Something about future valedictorian?**

**Cheryl – Well, I’m trying yes.**

**Toni – But you keep texting me while you’re in class.**

**Cheryl – Well, like I said, I’m ahead.**

**Toni – Same. I already read the textbook for this class up to where the teacher is lecturing through the week.**

**Cheryl – I guess we are on the same page there then.**

**Cheryl – Well, unfortunately I have to take a stupid pre-calculus quiz. Wish me luck,**

**Toni – I’m sure you don’t need it, but good luck.**

Then there was Friday, when multiple texts conversations were exchanged throughout the day. First, in the morning, Toni texted the redhead.

**Toni – How was your quiz yesterday, Red?**

**Cheryl – Oh, fine. We just got it passed back to us actually, I got a 100.**

**Toni – No surprise, I’m sure.**

**Cheryl – Nope. How’s history treating you?**

**Toni – Oh great. Love learning about all the shitty things our country has done.**

**Cheryl – It really is too bad you don’t have European History. At least learning about those terrible things, it doesn’t have to feel as close to home.**

**Toni – Lol. I’m glad it’s Friday though. Means I don’t have to do homework today!**

**Cheryl – Let me guess, you work tonight?**

**Toni – Yup. I’ve gotta put food on the table, Red.**

**Cheryl – I can’t imagine being a bartender. Old drunk men are the worst.**

**Toni – Tell me about it.**

**Cheryl – God, when all of my old extended family gets together, the men all get drunk on whiskey together and make horribly inappropriate comments to all of the women. It’s disgusting.**

**Toni – Your family sounds worse the more I hear about it.**

**Cheryl – That’s because they are horrible.**

**Toni – Sorry, Red.**

The conversation ended there, and Toni felt bad, feeling like she had made Cheryl upset. But then, after lunch, she got another text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Surprisingly, Heather doesn’t have plans with Cody tonight. I thought I was going to be without anything to do today.**

**Toni – Isn’t there always some dumb Northside party going on Friday nights?**

**Cheryl – I can’t go to those alone.**

**Toni – You’re like, head cheerleader. Can’t you just go with your squad?**

**Cheryl – I’m not very close with most of the Vixens, actually.**

**Toni – Really? But you spend like, hours a day with them?**

**Cheryl – Being friends with your subordinates can be a slippery slope. That’s why I’m just friends with Heather, and kinda with Veronica.**

**Toni – If you say so. I would hate to be on a team where I wasn’t even able to hang out with everyone.**

**Cheryl – You heard what happened when I tried to hang out with all of the Vixens and the Bulldogs last weekend.**

**Toni – Oh yeah, that’s right.**

**Cheryl – It’s okay. My Vixens know to respect me, but the Bulldogs are always assholes to everyone.**

**Toni – Sounds about right.**

All of that conversation had lasted throughout a couple of hours, because of school getting in the way of them texting each other back, and then after school, texts from Cheryl stopped coming—because she had cheer practice, Toni assumed. Meanwhile, Toni got ready to go to work, and headed to the Wyrm.

It wasn’t until she was home after work that she got another text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Sorry, I didn’t reply because I was in Vixens practice, and then Heather and I went to Pop’s.**

**Toni – I’ll admit, I like the food at Pop’s. It’s so rude that Southsiders are discouraged from going.**

**Cheryl – Well, probably if you had someone from the Northside with you, people wouldn’t mind.**

**Toni – A chaperone?**

**Cheryl – You know what I mean.**

**Toni – Lol, maybe I’ll take you up on that sometime. How was hanging out with Heather?**

**Cheryl – It was fine. I’m getting mentally prepared to do a lot of homework this weekend, because I’m pretty sure that Heather will be with Cody like, all weekend.**

**Toni – That sucks. Well, my texts are always open.**

**Cheryl – I know. :) Hey, I should probably get some sleep.**

**Toni – Yeah, goodnight, Red.**

**Cheryl – Goodnight, Toni.**

Over the weekend, despite Toni’s offer, she only had a few short text conversations with Cheryl, but it wasn’t that big of a deal, considering that Toni worked both Saturday and Sunday night, and spent a good deal of her weekend hanging out with Sweet Pea and Fangs.

On Monday, Toni decided that this was the closest she and Cheryl had been to maybe being _friends_ , and that it was an okay time to maybe try to initiate trying to hang out with the redhead. But even if Toni thought it shouldn’t be weird to ask Cheryl, she was a little worried about it—worried that Cheryl would think it was dumb. As much as Toni didn’t want to admit it, she had a bit of a crush on Cheryl, and she was worried that Cheryl just saw her as someone who she could get something from, be it advice or someone to vent to. Toni just wanted them to at least be friends.

So during lunch, while Fangs was occupied talking to Joaquin, Toni looked to Sweet Pea and decided to rope him into her idea. “I feel like getting a burger for dinner later.”

“I can make us some if you want when we get back tonight? My dad bought some frozen patties over the weekend,” Sweet Pea offered.

Toni shrugged. “Have you ever been to that Northside place, the one that has like milkshakes and burgers and stuff?”

“Pop’s, right? That place some of us went to when we thought the Ghoulies were gonna do some shit there?” he clarified. Toni nodded. “No, I’ve never actually been inside.”

“We should go and try it out,” Toni told him. “Well, I’ve tried it. Remember when I told you Red owed me lunch? It was a damn good burger, you should try it.”

“I don’t know, Tiny. I’m not really up for going to the Northside for no reason.”

Toni frowned, but she’d knew this would happen, and her whole plan was contingent on Sweet Pea’s hesitance. “Hm, well… maybe I could ask Red to go with us? So that it won’t be just the two of us.”

Sweet Pea lifted an eyebrow. “Why don’t we just ask Jughead then?” Toni shrugged, not having realized that there was that option, and having no good excuse. “Dude. I thought you and Red weren’t friends?”

“We’re not,” Toni insisted. “Just like… acquaintances.”

“But you want to be friends?” Sweet Pea asked, crossing his arms.

Toni shrugged, running her hand through her hair with a sigh. “You were right, Sweets. She’s kind of different from other Northsiders that I’ve known. I mean, I don’t know her that well, but we’ve talked a few times… and what’s the harm in wanting to get to know her more?”

Sweet Pea nodded slowly. “You said she’s straight.”

“Trust me, I know she’s off limits,” Toni assured him, “but… I don’t know, we might be able to be friends, and sue me if I want to be friends with someone who isn’t a Serpent.”

“Okay, Tiny, fine. I’ll be part of your plan to befriend her,” Sweet Pea agreed, rolling his eyes. Toni smiled at him.

“You’re a great best friend,” Toni told him with a grin. “I’ll text her later and ask her, and I’ll let you know.”

Later was at the very end of her seventh period, when she knew that Cheryl would’ve just gotten to her seventh period as well.

**Toni – I hate the guys in this class. My teacher keeps saying Uranus and they WON’T stop laughing every time.**

**Cheryl – Sounds like Southside High guys are basically the same as the Bulldogs here.**

**Toni – Is it just a teenage boy thing to be so annoying?**

**Cheryl – I guess so.**

**Toni – Well, the guys in this class are Ghoulies. So I kinda expect them to be idiots.**

**Cheryl – Ghoulies?**

**Toni – They’re the next biggest gang, after the Serpents. But they have like, no code of honor or anything. They’re terrible.**

**Cheryl – The Serpents have a code of honor?**

**Toni – Of course. That’s how you keep people from running rampant and wreaking havoc.**

**Cheryl – Interesting.**

**Toni – Surprised that you don’t know everything about the Serpents after all?**

**Cheryl – I never said that I thought I knew everything about them.**

**Toni – No, but you definitely had all your judgements made about us before you’d ever met a single one of us.**

**Cheryl – I can’t help what I’ve heard about the Serpents.**

At this point, the bell rang to dismiss last period, and Toni grabbed her backpack as she texted Cheryl back.

**Toni – Yeah, yeah, I know.**

**Toni – School’s out!**

**Cheryl – Lucky. We still have half an hour.**

Now was the time, and Toni let out a breath as she started to text Cheryl again.

**Toni – I’ve been craving one of those Pop’s burgers since last Sunday. I think Sweet Pea and I might go for dinner tonight. But he’s worried about going to the Northside just the two of us. Do you wanna be our Northside chaperone?**

**Cheryl – Sure, it’ll have to be after practice, though.**

Toni was actually a little surprised at how easy that had been. Thankfully, after Cheryl’s practice was perfect, because the Serpents had a shipment coming in, and it was rumored that the Ghoulies had heard about it, so they were expecting a possible raid, and a bunch of Serpents were on duty to escort in the shipment.

**Toni – That’s fine, we have stuff Serpent stuff to do first anyway.**

She didn’t get a response right away, but she started toward the front of the school to meet up with Sweet Pea and tell him the plan. Then, right as she was about to step out of the school, her phone buzzed again.

**Cheryl – So practice actually just got canceled. And so did Heather’s date with Cody. She wants to hang out now.**

Toni felt her expression fall.

**Toni – Oh, okay. So… no Northside chaperone?**

**Cheryl – Raincheck. I’ll buy you Pop’s again sometime to make up for it.**

**Toni – Alright. Hey I gotta go do Serpent stuff now. Have fun with Heather.**

Toni let out a sigh, pocketing her phone and looking up as she stepped out of the school. Sweet Pea and Fangs were leaning against the wall of the building, waiting for her. “Hey, Tiny,” Fangs greeted.

“Hey,” Toni answered, aware of the fact that she sounded upset. “Oh, Sweets, our plans are off for tonight. _Raincheck_.” Sweet Pea gave her a look that said more than she wanted to comprehend, so she just changed the topic. “I guess we need to drop off our stuff at home and head out?”

“Yep,” Fangs answered, “let’s go!”

The shipment was mildly eventful. Most all of the Serpents who were there waited outside Riverdale for the truck, and then when they saw it, they all rode into Riverdale alongside it. At the border is when they ran into some trouble, and some Ghoulies started throwing rocks at some of the motorcycle’s tires and the windows of the truck. A few of the older Serpents stopped and got off their bikes, taking out their switchblades and yelling threateningly at the Ghoulies. Thankfully, that was usually all it took to scare off the assholes—they knew that the Serpents ran the Southside.

The rest of the week was uneventful in terms of the Serpents, but very eventful in terms of her home life. Her uncle had been coming home more often, and causing drama more often. Toni kept finding herself taking walks to a nearby kid’s park, that was always empty, just to get away for a couple of hours. Not to mention, she had to crash at Sweet Pea’s trailer three nights in a row, because every time she was home, her uncle would not stop screaming about how ungrateful she was.

She kept wanting to text Cheryl as a distraction, and luckily, another thing that was very eventful were her text conversations with Cheryl. Unfortunately, though, almost all of the text conversations were about Heather. Cody kept canceling on Heather, and Heather would turn to Cheryl for comfort. It was painfully obvious to Toni that Heather was using Cheryl in a sense, only taking time for her when she didn’t have time to be with Cody.

On Friday, though, Cheryl’s text to her wasn’t a rant. Toni was at work when she received it, but when she saw what it said on the notification, she took a bathroom break quickly to reply.

**Cheryl – Are you accepting rainchecks today?**

**Toni – I work until 9, so if we can meet at Pop’s at like 9:30, then sure.**

**Cheryl – Okay, that works. And bring Sweet Pea if you want.**

**Toni – Alright, I’ll text him and ask if he can come.**

**Cheryl – Okay. I’ll see you at 9:30.**

Toni switched over to her texts with Sweet Pea.

**Toni – Pop’s with Cheryl at 9:30. Don’t worry about paying, if she doesn’t offer, I’ll cover you in exchange for you coming with me.**

**Sweet Pea – Okay… why did she say no originally?**

**Toni – She had plans with someone else.**

**Sweet Pea – Gotcha. Okay. I’ll meet you there at 9:30.**

Toni put her phone away and walked back out to the bar, deep in thought. If Cheryl was suddenly free tonight, what did that mean about Heather? Every day this week, Cheryl had been hanging out with Heather because Cody bailed on her. And when Heather was available, Cheryl would hang out with her. So today, that must mean that Cody had plans with Heather, and Cheryl had no plans.

Didn’t that put Toni in the same position as Cheryl was in with Heather? Was Toni a hypocrite for allowing herself to be put in that position? She kept telling Cheryl not to let Heather use her, but here Toni was, letting herself be used, somewhat, by Cheryl.

She pushed the thought out of her head, not wanting to feel bad about herself right now.

So when she got off, Toni hopped on her motorcycle and headed north. As she drove across the train tracks, she heard a motorcycle’s engine revving behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder and saw Sweet Pea right behind her. They got to Pop’s at the same time, parking their bikes right as a bright red Chevy pulled into the Pop’s parking lot.

Toni and Sweet Pea climbed off of their bikes and took off their helmets, and Toni looked over at Cheryl as she parked. Their gazes met for a moment, and then Cheryl got out of the car and waved.

“I heard something about free dinner, so I’m here,” Sweet Pea said easily, with his usual dork grin. “Cheryl, right? I don’t think I officially heard your name any time before Toni mentioned it to me.”

Cheryl smiled at him, and Toni couldn’t help but stare for a moment as she responded to him. “Yeah, Cheryl. And, well. I figured that I owe you both dinner.”

“I didn’t even realize that you two were friends,” Sweet Pea said, glancing at Toni with a knowing look in his eye. Toni knew she couldn’t let Cheryl answer that, in case she said something to indicate that the two of them had talked more than Toni had admitted.

“I helped her out with something,” Toni told him, “and she owes me dinner.”

Cheryl nodded along, glancing at Toni as well, but Toni avoided her gaze. She felt angry, even though she knew she shouldn’t. She was angry about lying, and she was angry at the thought that Cheryl was probably only even here because Heather was too busy. “Well,” Cheryl started, “let’s get a table.”

They went into Pop’s and grabbed a booth, and Cheryl sat across from the two Serpents. Pop came over to take their order. “Get whatever you two want, milkshakes included,” Cheryl told Toni and Sweet Pea, and so they both othered a full meal with fries, and a milkshake.

When Pop walked off, Toni decided that she would just ask the question she wanted to know. “So, what’s up with Heather tonight?”

Cheryl blinked in surprise, and Toni realized immediately that the redhead was probably going to be upset that Toni mentioned her in front of Sweet Pea. “Who’s Heather?” Sweet Pea wondered.

“My friend,” Cheryl answered quickly, and Toni could sense her nerves. “The one who was at the bonfire party with me. She’s out on a date. With Cody.” Toni let out a silent breath, trying to contain her frustration. She was right—Cheryl had only offered to get dinner with Toni when Heather actually went out with Cody.

“Oh, the blonde who Cody was teamed with during beer pong?” Cheryl nodded. “I didn’t realize she and Cody were really a thing.” Shrugging, Cheryl shifted her gaze to look at Toni, and Toni just avoided meeting it. She knew she shouldn’t have mentioned Heather now, but she couldn’t help but not feel bad—she was too frustrated. “So,” Sweet Pea continued, “is this place really as good as all you Northsiders say it is?”

“It’s the most popular diner on the Northside.”

“Jughead always talks it up,” Sweet Pea told her.

“So why have you never come with him?” Cheryl wondered.

“He’s kind of like… half in, half out of the Serpents right now. He can’t fully commit to it, I think because of his dad. So, if he hangs out with the Serpents, it’s on the Southside. Otherwise, he likes to stick to the Northside with his Northsider friends.”

“Sounds complicated.”

Toni finally joined in the conversation now, realizing that she had been silent since asking about Heather. “Jughead’s situation is complicated, since he’s a Serpent by blood, but wasn’t really raised completely on the Southside around the gang.”

“Oh yeah. That makes sense.”

Sweet Pea laughed a little. “Why the sudden interest, Red? You want to join the Serpents?”

Cheryl’s eyes widened, and Toni agreed that that idea sounded crazy. “Me as a Serpent? Yeah, that couldn’t possibly happen.”

“I don’t know,” Sweet Pea teased, “weirder things have happened.” Toni had no idea what those weirder things were, but thankfully, she didn’t have to find out, because Pop showed back up with their food, and they all started eating. After Sweet Pea had taken a good few bites, he suddenly spoke with a mouthful of food, “Okay, this is the one good thing that Northside has. This is such a good burger.”

Toni rolled her eyes, swallowing her own bite of food. “Don’t talk with your mouthful like that dude, it’s nasty.”

“Sorry,” Sweet Pea said, despite still having food in his mouth. Cheryl chuckled a little, and Toni shook her head.

Conversation stayed sparse through the rest of dinner, and then when they finished eating, Cheryl paid the check for the three of them, and they all got up to leave the diner. As they were walking out, Toni realized just how little she’d talked to Cheryl over the entire dinner, and she knew that she needed to talk to her—if only to give a half assed apology, even if she was sort of hoping for an apology as well.

“Thanks for the food,” Sweet Pea said to Cheryl with a grin. “If you ever need anymore car help, definitely call me if you’re going to pay in Pop’s.”

“Noted,” Cheryl said with a smile. Her eyes jumped over to look at Toni, who looking at Sweet Pea to avoid Cheryl’s gaze.

“Alright… we should head out,” Sweet Pea said, probably wondering why Toni had made him come to this dinner with her only for her to not say anything the whole time. “You coming, Tiny?”

“I’ll catch up with you,” Toni told him, and he just shrugged, giving a wave to Cheryl and hopping on his motorcycle. A few seconds later, he had driven off, and Toni finally made eye contact with the redhead. “I’m sorry for mentioning Heather, that was stupid, I wasn’t thinking.” It was the only thing she really felt like she needed to apologize for.

But Cheryl just shrugged. “It’s okay, really. I’m not mad.”

Toni actually believed her. “Okay. That’s good.”

“Um… but are you mad?” Cheryl wondered, and Toni shifted her weight a little, wondering how obvious her frustration was. “ “You’ve been kind of… distant this week.”

“I’m not mad,” Toni lied, knowing that she should just fess up, but instead chalking up her attitude to the stress of her week. “I had a rough week.”

Cheryl nodded slowly, and Toni wasn’t sure Cheryl bought her excuse, but she acted like she did as she answered, “Okay. I’m sorry you had a rough week.”

“It’s fine. Did you… wanna go talk about Heather?” Toni almost winced at herself—why was she like this? The _last_ thing she wanted was to hear about Cheryl and Heather, but here she was offering to listen, because she just wanted to spend any amount of time with Cheryl.

“I don’t want to bother you about it if you’ve been having a bad week,” Cheryl insisted. Hearing that admission—knowing that Cheryl was trying to be in tune with how Toni would feel talking about—actually calmed Toni’s frustration, and she decided that she could handle the conversation tonight.

“No, really,” she insisted, “it could be a good distraction. We can go wherever, the Wyrm might be a little far.”

Cheryl pressed her lips together, thinking for a minute, and Toni just stared at her face. It twisted up adorably when she was in deep thought, and Toni felt her heart melt a little. “Um, I think there’s some kind of… hardware store or something a little down the road into town? It should be closed, so the parking lot would be empty?”

“Sounds good, I’ll follow you.”

So Cheryl got into her car and Toni mounted her bike, and they drove about five minutes further into town, until Cheryl finally pulled into a parking lot. As Toni pulled up next to her, parking her bike, Cheryl started to take down the top of her car. Toni pulled off her helmet, and then Cheryl asked her, “Should we sit in here?”

Toni nodded dumbly, the fact that sitting in the convertible, with the top down under a starry sky, was very romantic not lost on her. She got off her bike and went around to the other side of Cheryl’s car, opening the door to get in instead of giving into temptation and climbing over the door.

“So, how’s it been going?” Toni finally asked, relaxing into the passenger seat of the car.

A small frown came to Cheryl’s face. “You’re going to be mad?”

“Oh really?” Toni inquired, wondering what that meant.

“I’ve hung out with Heather pretty much like every day this week. Because Cody kept canceling on her.”

Toni breathed out a puff of air, understanding now why Cheryl thought Toni would be mad. But it wasn’t anger really, more like disheartenment. “So you were her backup plan?” Cheryl just shrugged. “And… you’re okay with that?”

“It’s not like she doesn’t _want_ to hang out with me. It’s just… you know, significant others come first… I guess.”

“Yeah, but don’t you wish she was _your_ significant other? If she picks you second to this boy she’s known for a couple of weeks, isn’t it pretty much a given that she’s not into you that way?” Toni asked. She _had_ to convince Cheryl that Heather wasn’t going to suddenly turn gay for her—otherwise, she had a pretty good feeling that Cheryl would just end up getting more hurt by Heather in the future.

“But… what if—”

“Cheryl,” Toni interrupted the redhead abruptly, getting a look of surprise from her, “if you keep playing this what if game, you’re going to get really hurt.”

“You’ve said yourself that it’s hard not to ask what if,” Cheryl bit back, crossing her arms.

“That doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to ask it. She’s already said she’s not gay, right? So even if she does think experimenting would be fun, you do _not_ want to be your best friend’s experiment. That will hurt you more than any of the other options.”

“I _know_ that, I won’t let her make me her experiment, _but_ —”

“Look, Red,” Toni interrupted again, her frustration bubbling up again—why did Cheryl ask her advice if she didn’t even want to take it? “I want to help you get through this, but you are just letting yourself stay _stuck_ there.”

Cheryl stared at Toni in surprise, and Toni realized that maybe she had sounded more exasperated than she meant to. She let out a sigh.

“Sorry. I’m on edge. It’s not your fault.”

“What’s been going on with you this week? If you want to tell me, of course.” Cheryl’s question really surprised Toni, but what surprised her even more was how genuine she actually sounded.

Toni let out another sigh, deciding there was no harm in admitting all of the drama with her uncle from the week. “Just some shit with my uncle. I had to crash at Sweet Pea’s a few times this week, and things are just crazy. I was hoping that going to Pop’s for dinner with you and Sweet Pea would be a distraction, but clearly I was wrong.” That last part wasn’t the whole reason Toni had agreed to dinner, of course, but Cheryl didn’t need to know that. “I’m just… overwhelmed, but it’s fine.”

“Oh…” Cheryl looked like she didn’t know what to say, which Toni should’ve expected.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry. Keep talking about Heather.”

Cheryl didn’t look super excited at that instruction, but she followed it anyway. “Oh. Well. Cody kept bailing on her all week, like I said, but he was free to go out tonight.” Toni was reminded of her frustration about how Cheryl would only hang out with Toni if Heather wasn’t free, but she knew that she shouldn’t mention it again, not right now. “And… well, that’s it I guess. I didn’t cash in the raincheck to talk about anything in particular, really. I just… I owed you and Sweet Pea dinner after Monday.”

Toni was about to say something, but then Cheryl’s phone vibrated multiple times in succession. Cheryl grabbed it out quickly. “Is it Heather?” Toni asked flatly. Cheryl just nodded, reading the text messages. After a few seconds, Toni asked, “What’s going on?”

“Cody dumped her.”

“Oh, shit…” Toni was actually surprised to hear that. “Well, I guess that explains all of the avoiding he did this week.”

Cheryl let out a sigh. “I knew this would happen.”

“Why? Because he’s a Serpent?” Toni snapped, feeling more frustration bubble up on top of everything else that was stressing her out.

“No,” Cheryl answered with furrowed eyebrows, “not because he’s a Serpent. But because this always happens with Heather. She picks guys who are looking to hookup, but she’s always looking for something more. She says she just wants a hookup, she says it to herself and to the guy, but really, she wants more. And when she starts to press for something more serious, the guy dumps her. This has happened at least five times now.”

“And let me guess,” Toni said quietly, “you’re _always_ there to pick up the pieces?”

Cheryl’s expression steeled a little. “What am I supposed to do, Toni?” she snapped. “She’s my best friend.”

“Who manipulates you into being there for her all the time!” Toni exclaimed. “Let me guess, she needs you right now?”

“She’s at Sunnyside without a car,” Cheryl answered, “so yes, she does. What do you want me to do? Leave her there with no way to get home?”

Toni shook her head, and opened the passenger side door, getting out of the car. She couldn’t take this right now. “I’m just saying, Red. She’s got you on a leash.”

“On a leash? No she does _not_! Where are you going?”

“Ironically,” Toni called, walking back around to her motorcycle, “I think I’m going to the same place you’re being _summoned_ to.” Toni got onto the motorcycle, pulled on her helmet, and took off, not saying goodbye or waiting for Cheryl to say anything else.

Toni was pissed, so before going home, she drove around the Southside a bit. She wanted to wait to get home until after Cheryl would definitely not be there anymore. Thankfully, when she finally drove up to Sunnyside, there was no red car in sight. Even better, when she got back to her uncle’s trailer, she found it empty. Feeling relieved, she quickly got ready for bed and stumbled into her room. She wasn’t sure of the time exactly, but she collapsed into her bed anyway.

Checking her phone before allowing herself to pass out, she saw that she had some texts from Sweet Pea.

**Sweet Pea – What happened at dinner? You barely even talked to Red.**

**Toni – Yeah, turns out I’m a little mad at her for only agreeing to dinner when she literally has nothing else to do.**

**Sweet Pea – Sorry, Tiny. :(**

**Toni – It’s fine.**

**Sweet Pea – Did you need to stay here tonight? I know this weekend might be rough since my family is gonna be out of town, and the Masons are gonna be using our trailer… so if you need to stay here tonight to make the weekend easier, you’re welcome to come over.**

**Toni – Thanks, Sweets, but my uncle isn’t here, and I’m already exhausted, so I’m just gonna crash here.**

**Sweet Pea – Okay. Goodnight, T.**

**Toni – Night, Sweets.**

And with that, Toni wrapped herself up in her thin covers and let the call of sleep take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god not "Heather" by Conan Gray coming on while I'm proofreading this chapter lmfao!  
> I hope the Choni texts were fun for y'all to read, they were fun to add in to the story!  
> Thank you all for being here, again I'm sorry this chapter came so late today! Next chapter is going up Sunday, and I will definitely be posting earlier than I am today! <3 Have a great weekend, y'all!


	7. (i have) nowhere to go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni and her uncle have a really bad fight, and things go south for Toni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies! I decided I felt like updating a day early for this next chapter <3  
> Quick note: realized I used the last name Mason. No relation to Moose lol.
> 
> Have y'all noticed anything about the chapter titles of this fic by chance?
> 
> Enjoy lovelies <3

Saturday started off actually pretty good. A lot of the Serpents were gone for a job, but not Toni, because during big missions like this, there was a sort of buddy system. Sweet Pea had his dad—Noah was staying with another family for the weekend—Fangs had his sister, and Jughead wasn’t going. Everyone else that had agreed to the job agreed with their buddy initially, and FP had said he would reach out if they needed more people. That hadn’t happened, so Toni wasn’t on the job. Unfortunately, Hog Eye was gone, so the White Wyrm was going to be closed that night, leaving Toni with basically nothing to do all day.

She kept herself locked in her room for most of the day, doing homework and only really leaving her room for food. She found herself thinking about the previous night, with Cheryl, and how they had a sort of fight. She still felt so disheartened at how Cheryl let herself be treated by Heather, and also frustrated at herself for letting Cheryl treat her similarly to how Heather treated Cheryl. The fact that she got multiple texts from Cheryl throughout the day didn’t help.

**Cheryl – Hey, Toni. Can we talk about what happened yesterday?**

**Cheryl – I don’t like the way we left things last night. I didn’t mean to push hard enough to upset you. I know you hate it when I don’t completely agree with your advice, but it’s just hard to change how I think.**

**Cheryl – I just want to talk it out and get past this.**

**Cheryl – If you get a chance, please just text me back. I feel really bad.**

She felt bad for not responding, but she also didn’t know what to say. There was no real apology in any of the texts, and Toni just needed some more time to process.

One good thing about _most_ of Saturday, though, her uncle didn’t come home all through the morning and afternoon, so when it was dinner time, Toni decided to actually go out into the kitchen and make herself some mac and cheese.

She was halfway through making the food when the trailer door suddenly slammed open. Her uncle came stumbling into the trailer, his graying black hair a mess, and looking like he hadn’t showered in a week. His glare was immediately affixed to Toni, who braced herself for what was about to come.

“Hey—” she tried, but he was speaking before she could finish.

“Why the hell are you here?” he snapped, walking into the trailer with uneven footing and slamming the door behind him.

“The Wyrm is closed tonight,” Toni answered quietly.

“Yeah, I fuckin’ know,” he told her, “just tried to get in and the door’s fuckin’ locked!”

“Hog Eye is out of town,” Toni explained, not mentioning the Serpents at all, because she knew that would just piss her uncle off even more.

“You should’ve gone with him, so you wouldn’t be here taking up so much fuckin’ space,” he growled, walking to the fridge. “What the fuck are you doing anyway?”

“Just making dinner,” Toni answered, as Tristan opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Are you sure you need another? Seems like the Wyrm being closed hasn’t kept you from drinking all day, wherever you were.”

Her uncle slammed the fridge, making eye contact with Toni as he popped open the can and took a swig. “You don’t get to tell me what the fuck to do, I can drink if I want to. Last I checked, _you_ were the one who’s supposed to listen to _me_ , and yet you’re here all the time, even when I’ve told you countless times to get the fuck out of my trailer.”

“Uncle Tristan,” Toni told him carefully, “when my parents went away, you agreed to take me in until I turn eighteen, and—”

“And why the fuck does that matter? No one told me you’d have to be in my goddamn space all the time!” Tristan exclaimed, his voice raised now. Toni just let out a breath, turning her attention back to her mac and cheese, which was probably close to done. “Hey, I’m talking to you, you ungrateful little bitch! Pay attention when I talk to you!”

Toni looked back at her uncle. “Sorry.”

“You better be fucking sorry—you know, I give up so much space for you! You’re not fuckin’ worth it, but I do it anyway. And how do you repay me? Ignoring me when I talk to you, acting like you’d be anywhere without everything I’ve done for you!” Tristan shouted, slamming down his can of beer on the counter, and causing some of it to splash out everywhere. “I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again, I want you the fuck out of this place!”

“As soon as my dinner is finished, I’ll just be in my room. You won’t even know I’m here.”

“You think I’m a fucking idiot? Of course I’ll know you’re fucking here! Your shit is in my bathroom and I have one less room because of you! Jesus Christ. You’re such a fucking waste of space! Get the fuck out!”

“Uncle—”

“Don’t _uncle_ me, get the fuck out of my trailer!”

“But I—”

He took a step closer to her, and she backed up instinctively. “Did I stutter?” his voice was eerily calm, so Toni knew not to push him further. Letting out a shaky breath, she backed toward the door, and he followed her, ensuring that she was backed out of the apartment. She finally opened it and stepped out, and he slammed it in her face. She didn’t hear it lock, which was a relief, because she didn’t have her phone or keys or anything. Still, she couldn’t go in now. There was a good chance Tristan would pass out in the next half hour, if he was as drunk as he looked.

So Toni found herself walking around Sunnyside for about half an hour, trying not to think about her current situation. Sunnyside was pretty empty, but there were a few kids running around and playing, as well as some dogs.

When she decided that she’d waited long enough, she went back to her uncle’s trailer and, as quietly as she could, opened the door. She didn’t see Tristan in the living area or kitchen, so he was probably in his room. She glanced at the stove, and noticed that her pot of mac and cheese had been moved into the sink, upside down with mac and cheese spilling out into the bottom of the sink. Letting out a breath, Toni made a quick decision to just get some stuff and get out, and she silently made her way to her room. The bathroom was empty, so Toni knew that Tristan must be in his bedroom.

In her room, she pulled on her Serpent jacket, pocketed her phone and keys and wallet. She couldn’t think of anything that was of high importance for the weekend, so she just grabbed her phone and texted Sweet Pea quickly.

**Toni – Can I use your trailer tonight? I know you’re gone, but I can’t stay with Tristan.**

A minute passed.

**Toni – Dude, please reply.**

Suddenly, she heard a door swing open. She held her breath, hoping that he would just go into the bathroom and not notice her, but of course, she was not that lucky.

“What the fuck?” he demanded from the hallway, and Toni turned around to face him.

“I just needed—”

“What the fuck do you think you needed that was more important than following my goddamn directions?” Tristan shouted. “I told you to fucking leave, what part of that makes you think you’re allowed to come back here?”

Toni felt anger bubbling, so much that she wasn’t sure she could keep it down. She usually tried to, partially because her uncle did genuinely scare her sometimes, and also because she knew that if she let her anger break loose, there would be even more hell to pay than when it was just Tristan who was angry. “I just needed my phone and my wallet,” she snapped at him.

“Who fucking paid for that phone for you, huh?” he snapped back, his voice louder again. “Who the fuck do you think buys this shit for you?”

“I have a fucking job,” she heard herself tell him, “I pay for my own shit.” Her voice was mostly still level, but her tone was definitely filled with anger.

“Oh you pay for your own shit, huh?” he demanded. “Do you pay the fucking bills? Do you pay for water and electricity? You wouldn’t be able to charge your precious phone if it weren’t for me, you bitch. You’ve _never_ been grateful for all I do for you, huh? So fucking entitled!”

“You want me to leave, right? Let me get through so I can fucking leave,” Toni growled, hoping to avoid any more of this.

“So fucking ungrateful!” he yelled, walking into the kitchen and clearing the hallway. Toni started down the hallway and toward the door, but before she could exit, he was yelling again, and stepping between her and door. “I can’t fucking believe how ungrateful you are! Do you think I deserve to be treated the way you treat me?”

“Do you think _I_ deserve to be treated the way _you_ treat me?” Toni heard herself ask back, her voice raising now as well.

“All you ever do is take up fucking space and raise my fucking electricity bill!”

Toni couldn’t take it now. “Well that’s your _fucking_ fault for taking me in when my parents got arrested, huh? If I could’ve picked, this would’ve been the _last_ place I ever would’ve wanted to stay!”

He slammed his fist onto the wall, causing the trailer to shake a little. “I had no fucking choice but to take you in, but trust me, I regret not taking the fuck off when I had the chance. You’re the reason I’ve been stuck in this shithole for years, can’t save enough money to leave when you’re fucking draining my wallet!”

“I haven’t taken money from you in years!” Toni exclaimed.

“The fucking bills—have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? God fucking damn. No wonder your parents turned to drugs—dealing with you is such a pain in the ass!”

Toni felt tears stinging her eyes. “Them doing that had _nothing_ to do with me!”

“How the fuck would you know?” he snapped. “You don’t remember that shit!” Toni sniffed, keeping her tears from falling, and Tristan narrowed his eyes. “You fucking crying? You don’t _get_ to cry!” He grabbed an old beer can off of the table, and threw it across the room. “I’m the one who has had to deal with this shit!”

“Trust me!” Toni shouted. “I don’t want to be here anymore, either! It’s not like I have a place to fucking go!”

“Oh yeah, then where the fuck do you go all the fucking time?”

“Oh, you mean when you’re kicking me out for literally _existing_?”

Tristan let out a frustrated scream, grabbing the top of one of the plastic dining chairs and jerking it, throwing it onto the ground. Toni jumped at the abrupt sound. “I am _so_ tired of your bullshit!”

“Yeah, well I’m tired of you being drunk all the time and yelling at me for literally just existing!” Toni shouted at him.

“Where are your fucking keys?” Tristan asked suddenly, and Toni felt her heart rate picking up even higher than before. “Where the _fuck_ are your _fucking_ keys?” He took a step toward her, and she took a step back, but then he lunged toward her and reached his hand into her jacket pocket. Toni pushed him away, but he had her keys in his hand.

“If you fucking touch my bike keys, I will call the fucking police!” Toni yelled at him. “I bought that thing, and you can’t take it away from me!”

But he wasn’t interested in those apparently, because he found instead her key to the trailer and practically yanked it off of the keyring. “I’d like to see you try to come back into _my_ home without a fucking key!” He threw it into the living room, and it slammed into the window, making a horrible sound. “As for your little gang motorcycle, I don’t give a fuck about that—if you have it, it’ll be easier for you to get the _fuck_ out.”

“Give me my fucking keys,” Toni growled.

Tristan took a threatening step closer to her. “And you _still_ can’t speak to me with fucking respect?” He practically threw her keys onto the ground in front of her, and she jumped in surprise. “There’s your fuckin’ keys, you ungrateful bitch. Now get the _fuck_ out of my house.”

Toni bent down and quickly grabbed her keys, and darted around her uncle, opening the door and slipping out. He slammed it behind her, and she heard the purposeful click of the lock. A sob suddenly broke out of Toni, but she stumbled over to her bike, shocked at what had just happened. She and her uncle hadn’t fought that badly in a long time, if ever. And now she was locked out, literally. She leaned against her motorcycle, letting a few sobs wrack her body for a moment.

Wiping at her face, she tried to regain some composure. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be anyone around to witness this moment. She grabbed her phone, and saw that Sweet Pea hadn’t texted her back. With no other option, though, she started wheeling her bike over to his trailer. As she walked up to it, she realized that the lights were on inside, and she remembered that his neighbors, the Masons, were staying in the trailer over the weekend. They were an older Serpent family, and their water was out, so Sweet Pea’s dad had offered the trailer to them for the weekend, while they waited for their water to come back.

Toni felt hot tears coming down her cheeks again.

Feeling shaky, she tried to figure out who she could call. Fangs. She rang his phone, no answer. Felicity. No answer. Joaquin. No answer. Cody. No answer. FP. No answer. She was running out of Serpents who she _really_ trusted. Jughead was next on her mental list, so she tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. But then she remembered that even though FP was gone, Jughead had stayed at Sunnyside—probably to do rounds, because she had seen him ride out on his motorcycle earlier that morning. She tried calling him again, but got no response. So she started over to his trailer.

When she knocked, there was no response. She tried a few more times, and even tried wiggling the doorknob, but it seemed like he wasn’t home. Toni let out a shaky breath, forcing herself to accept that there was no one else to call.

As she climbed onto her motorcycle, she realized that she could call Cheryl. Blinking some tears out of her eyes, she let herself consider that. She decided that she might as well, even though she had been ghosting the girl all day, and grabbed her phone out of her pocket again. As she pulled up Cheryl’s contact, her phone screen suddenly went black. “Fuck!” she exclaimed. She hadn’t been charging it all day because she hadn’t expected something like this to happen. More tears came to her eyes.

She took in a deep breath, letting her eyes fall closed. She tried to focus in on her body, to calm her down. She was hungry—she never got to have dinner. Before she could do anything, she should fix that.

She found herself driving to a cheap Chinese takeout place, going in to order food and then eating outside on her motorcycle. After tossing the trash, she contemplated where she should go to sleep. The thought of sleeping in her spot, behind the Wyrm, crossed her mind, but then she realized that the Wyrm was empty—and would be all night.

So she rode to the White Wyrm, parked her bike, and went up to the door. She fumbled with her keys, looking for the right one, and unlocked the bar. She locked it behind her and then headed back to the break room. It was small, but there was a phone charger for employee use, and some chairs. She dragged two chairs over to the outlet on the wall where the charger was and made them face together. It wouldn’t be the _worst_ surface she’d ever slept on, but it would definitely be up there.

She stepped back out into the bar area. She got herself a cup of water, and glanced at the analog clock on the wall. It was after midnight already. She had no idea how that had happened. Everything felt like a blur—maybe she had been stopped and crying for longer than she realized.

She finished her water and tossed the cup in the trash, and then walked back into the break room. Then, before she could even go plug her phone in, there was a knocking on the glass of the main door into the Wyrm. Confused, Toni poked her head out of the break room, and there, standing on the other side of the door, was a certain redheaded Northsider.

Toni wiped at her face, hoping it wasn’t obvious she’d been crying, and went to the door, pushing it open. “Cheryl? What are you doing here?”

“Sweet Pea called me,” Cheryl answered. “He said you couldn’t stay at your trailer, and that now you weren’t answering your phone.”

“It’s dead,” Toni deadpanned. “I just got here, I haven’t been able to charge it.”

“Well, I came to—”

“Look, Red,” Toni interrupted, feeling so overwhelmed from the past thirty-six hours that she couldn’t imagine sitting through any kind of conversation that might induce more stress, “I really can’t talk tonight. I’m exhausted, and—”

“I _brought_ some stuff for you,” Cheryl interrupted back, silencing Toni, who was surprised to hear this. “Let me grab it.” Cheryl turned and started back to her car. Toni swallowed thickly, glancing at the ground and noticing a big rock a couple feet away from the door, she dragged it over to the door and used it to prop it open, before turning and going back to the break room. She wiped at her face a little more, trying to look a little more presentable. A minute later, Toni heard the door close and Cheryl came to the break room, as the Serpent was sitting on her makeshift bed, plugging her phone in. “Toni?”

Toni looked at the redhead, noticing that she was now carrying a bunch of blankets, pillows, and also some snacks it seemed like. “Oh… you brought a lot.”

“Well, I figured if you weren’t sleeping at home or at Sweet Pea’s, you would end up somewhere less than comfortable.” She set the stuff on the table. “And I didn’t have time to go get anything better than some fruit, in case you’re hungry.”

“Thanks, Red. You… didn’t have to do that.”

Cheryl shrugged. “I wanted to make sure you were okay. You didn’t text me back all day.”

“Yeah…” Toni just leaned back against the wall and pushing some hair away from her face.

“Why did we fight last night? I don’t know what happened.”

Toni shook her head—she wasn’t in a good place to have this conversation. “I don’t want to talk about last night. It’s fine, water under the bridge or whatever. I was having a bad week and a bad night.”

“And today? What happened?” Cheryl pulled the third chair closer to where Toni was sitting, and sat down. Toni was surprised with her patience as she just sat there, waiting for Toni to talk. Toni debated on how much she should tell Cheryl, but the Northsider’s demeanor was different tonight. She wasn’t focusing on herself at _all_. She was here for Toni, and she was trying to help.

Toni finally decided to tell her, and she took in a breath as she wiped at her dry cheeks. “I told you some shit was happening with my uncle. He spent the week coming home drunk and telling me that he wanted me out of his space. That wasn’t particularly unusual, so I kept going out or hanging at Sweet Pea’s. But he wasn’t home last night, so I stayed at the trailer. And I didn’t work today, because the White Wyrm was closed—since Hog Eye and most of the Serpents are gone this weekend—so I was home almost all day. But like, four hours ago, my uncle came back and started screaming about how he’s told me countless times he wants me out. He practically shoved me out the door, but he didn’t give me any stuff. I waited about half an hour before I went back in, hoping he’d have passed out so that I could just grab my phone and some other stuff.”

Toni took in a breath shakily, trying to hold herself together as she thought through the entire evening. Cheryl was still listening intently, so she did her best to continue.

“I made it into my room, grabbed my phone and wallet and my motorcycle keys, all the important stuff. I texted Sweet Pea, asking if I could use his trailer since his family is out of town with the Serpents today. Then, my uncle noticed that I’d come back in, and he started screaming and throwing things—I swear he almost hit me like, ten times. So I ducked out of there, but not before he managed to get my key to the trailer. So I was, well, _am_ officially locked out. Sweet Pea didn’t reply, I went to his trailer to get in, but then I remembered that this other family was using it for the weekend, because they weren’t getting any water in theirs.”

Cheryl asked softly, “What time was that at?”

“That was probably two hours ago?” Toni answered with a shrug. “I don’t know, so many things were happening, and my uncle and I fought for way longer than I thought when I looked at the time after.” That was a little bit of a lie—the truth was that Toni had cried longer than she thought, but she didn’t want to admit that to Cheryl.

“So you didn’t come straight here after realizing you couldn’t go to Sweet Pea’s?”

“No. I tried calling a few more people, but pretty much every Serpent left this morning. The only reason I didn’t go was because they needed a few people to stay behind and make rounds on Southside. I even tried calling Jughead, I saw him making rounds earlier today. His dad didn’t let him go on the trip, I guess. He didn’t pick up, and when I tried his trailer, it was locked and he didn’t answer the door. So I figure he’s with Betty or something?” Toni shook her head dismissively. “Basically, no one I could stay with would pick up or anything. So I went and bought some food for late dinner, and finally came here.”

“Oh, Toni,” Cheryl said softly. “I’m so sorry. That sounds…”

“I know,” Toni interrupted, not giving Cheryl a chance to say an adjective. Her phone suddenly flickered to life next to her, and Toni glanced down at it as she said, “I’m sorry you came all the way here just to listen to me ramble on—”

“Don’t be. Like I said, I wanted to make sure that you were okay. And now you have some things to make sleeping on these chairs somewhat more comfortable.”

Toni managed to crack a small smile, sniffling a little. “Thanks.”

“Do you have any idea where you’re going to stay after tonight?” Cheryl asked quietly.

“I think Sweet Pea’s dad won’t mind if I crash on their couch for a while. I don’t know if my uncle will let me back in our place to get clothes and stuff though. So I might have to break in to grab some stuff. But if I do that, that automatically extends how long I have to spend away from there.”

Cheryl nodded slightly. “Has this happened before? Where he took your key?”

Toni swallowed thickly. “No. It hasn’t. I don’t want I’m going to do. I can barely afford gas and food, so I definitely can’t try to get any place by myself. I can maybe pay some rent to Sweet Pea’s dad if I need to stay there for a while. I’ll figure something out, though. I’m almost eighteen, so I guess it’s about time anyway.”

Cheryl looked like she wanted to say something, but after a moment she let out a breath and just said, “Let me help set up a bed for you.” Toni stood up as Cheryl did and let the redhead lay out a blanket, the pillows, and then the second blanket. “There!”

Toni smiled again, genuinely appreciative. “Thanks. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping on those.”

“Who would? You should sleep, you look like you need it.”

“Gee thanks, Red,” Toni said sarcastically, and she thought she saw a hint of a smile on Cheryl’s face at the response.

“Do you need me to get anything else for you?”

“No, I’ll be okay here. The White Wyrm is going to be open tomorrow, but not until the afternoon, so I’ll have time to get out of here before then. And Sweet Pea should be back around noon tomorrow, too.”

“Okay good,” Cheryl said with an approving nod. “Well, I will let you sleep then.”

“Thanks. For bringing the stuff.”

“Of course. Text me tomorrow,” Cheryl instructed—it wasn’t a question. Toni smiled—she felt like Cheryl going out of her way to do this for her almost made up for the things Toni had been frustrated about before.

“I will.”

And with that, Cheryl headed out, and Toni flipped the lights off in the break room, laying down on her makeshift bed, letting sleep take over.

* * *

Toni woke up early the next morning, her eyes feeling crusty from sleep and the fact that she’d slept in the remnants of the makeup that had been on the day before. She climbed off of the chairs, causing some of the pillows to fall to the ground, and pattered to the bar’s bathroom. She washed her face and rinsed out her mouth, and then went back into the break room to snack on some of the fruit Cheryl had brought her the night before.

As she settled back onto the chair, pulling the fallen pillows onto her lap and wrapping up in one of the blankets, she thought about the night before, and how Cheryl had come to her rescue. She’d seen a different side of Cheryl last night. She wasn’t left wondering if Cheryl was feigning interest in her life—she knew that Cheryl had wanted to hear what happened last night, and she wanted to help. It felt like… like maybe Cheryl was starting to consider Toni a friend, and that’s really what Toni wanted.

Toni dozed off there, leaning against the wall, for a little while after eating. When she woke up again, it was closer to noon, so she piled up the pillows and folded the blankets and went back to the bathroom to braid her hair, hoping it wouldn’t look super messy that way. Then, a few minutes after noon, she heard a motorcycle outside. She went to the door before Sweet Pea was even there, pushing it open and leaning against it as she watched him get off of his bike.

He walked up to her with a sad smile. “You good?”

Toni nodded, looking down at her feet. She was so used to being strong, even around her friends, that it was hard for her when they knew she was going through a shitty situation. She didn’t want to appear weak. Even though Sweet Pea was her best friend, she still felt weird about it. “Thanks for calling her.”

“Of course,” Sweet Pea said. “I know you were mad at her… and that you two ‘aren’t friends,’ but I also knew that everyone was gone yesterday.”

Toni nodded, letting out a sigh. “Maybe we’re friends. A little.”

Sweet Pea smiled. “She seems really nice. Maybe she’ll continue to surprise you.” Toni shrugged.

“She brought me some pillows and blankets. Wanna help me get them to Sunnyside?”

“Sure,” Sweet Pea agreed, coming into the Wyrm. They walked back to the break room. “Have you eaten anything?”

“I got a late dinner yesterday, and Red brought me some fruit last night, so I had that for breakfast.”

“Good,” Sweet Pea said with a nod, “I’ll make us something for lunch when we get back.”

“Thanks, Sweets. Seriously. I appreciate you helping me last night, even if it was indirectly.”

Sweet Pea gave her his usual goofy smile. “Anything for my best friend. Come on, let’s get you somewhere more comfortable than these hard ass chairs.”

When Toni got to Sweet Pea’s, while he and his dad cooked up a big breakfast for lunch, Toni texted Cheryl to let her know she was okay.

**Toni – Hey, Sweet Pea just got back in to town, so I left the Wyrm and I’m at his place now. Thanks for last night.**

“Hey, Toni,” Vic said, getting her attention, “so you don’t have a key for Tristan’s place anymore?”

“No, sir,” Toni answered.

“Want me to talk to him?” Vic asked. “I’ll keep it civil, don’t worry.”

“I would appreciate that yeah… but I don’t really see it going well,” Toni admitted.

Vic nodded. “Well, just know that if he doesn’t let you stay with him, there’s always a place here for you on our couch.”

“Thank you.”

**Toni – His dad is going to talk to my uncle and see if he can get him to let me stay at the trailer until I’m eighteen. I don’t have high hopes, though. My uncle doesn’t like Sweet Pea or his dad, so I’m sure he won’t appreciate the suggestion.**

By the time they’d finished eating lunch, Cheryl still hadn’t replied, and it was almost one in the afternoon.

**Toni – Are you good, Red?**

She began to worry a little, wishing she’d stayed awake to make sure Cheryl got home okay the night before.

Thankfully, twenty minutes later, she got a text back.

**Cheryl – I guess. Sorry. I just woke up again.**

**Toni – Again?**

**Cheryl – Yeah, well I woke up kind of early to Heather outside my house, ready to yell at me for lying about where I went last night.**

**Toni – Oh. I didn’t realize you’d been at Heather’s before you came to the White Wyrm.**

**Cheryl – Yeah, Sweet Pea called me while I was at her place. We’d been binging movies all day because of her breakup. I told her there was a family emergency I had to take care of, and she wasn’t happy but it was what it was. But then, she apparently texted Jason, who told her there was no emergency, and now she’s pissed at me.**

Toni read the message and was actually impressed with the Northsider. She knew that it wasn’t easy for Cheryl to turn Heather down, and it made her feel even more sure that she’d seen a different side of Cheryl. She wanted to say something about how she knew that was hard for Cheryl, but she didn’t want to call Cheryl out for it—the last thing she needed was for Cheryl to get defensive.

**Toni – It shouldn’t be that big of a deal, should it?**

**Cheryl – I don’t know. It is to her. I betrayed her trust.**

**Toni – You might consider, as I’ve said before, that your best friend may be implementing techniques of manipulation…**

**Cheryl – Maybe, but she seemed genuinely hurt. And I hate seeing her hurt.**

**Toni – Yeah. That’s fair.**

**Toni – Did you end up telling her where you really went last night?**

**Cheryl – No, of course not. It’s not her business.**

**Toni – Okay. Yeah, that’s good.**

Toni was glad that Cheryl didn’t tell Heather, because she knew that Heather would hate her just on principal. And she didn’t want Heather’s manipulation to keep her from seeing Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Well, I’m glad you’re at Sweet Pea’s now. I can’t imagine those chairs were very comfy, even with the blankets.**

**Toni – Yeah they definitely weren’t very comfortable.**

**Cheryl – Let me know if you need anything from me, okay?**

**Toni – Sure, Red.**

Toni let out a breath, leaning into the couch. She felt relieved that the previous day was over, but at the same time, she still felt a little overwhelmed.

“Hey Toni,” Noah’s voice said suddenly, as he came over to her from the little dining table, “can you help me with my algebra?”

“Of course, kiddo.”

At least now she had distractions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Toni ;-; What did you guys think of Toni's POV of her getting kicked out? I hope you guys thought it was written well, because it's not like the stuff I write most often and I had to make sure that it lined up perfectly with what Toni said to Cheryl afterwards lol. It was super emotional to reread just now eek!
> 
> I'm glad that y'all are enjoying this, as usual I appreciate you all so much for taking time to be here and to leave kudos and comments! I have endless appreciation for your time and energy! <3 The next chapter will go up on Monday, but until then, you can always hit me up on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories !
> 
> I hope you all have a good rest of your weekend <3


	8. i'll think of that night in the park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week of not having any of her stuff, Toni decides to break into her uncle's trailer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE! Happy Valentine's Day, happy So-Much-Snow-In-North-Texas Day! I am in the best mood and I wanted to share some love with a nice, long chapter to celebrate! I know I'm suppose to update every other day, but there's no complaints or anything, right? ;D
> 
> Enjoy lovelies <3

On Monday morning, Toni was still adjusting to everything that had happened over the weekend. Getting ready for school felt weird, because she didn’t have her normal bookbag or any clothes or makeup. Thankfully, all of her most important school stuff was in her locker at school, aside from one assignment she was supposed to have done this weekend. She would have to talk to her teacher about it, but she had a feeling that she would get an extension. Her teachers knew that she wasn’t one to just make up excuses.

Toni borrowed one of Sweet Pea’s t-shirts and wore it with her same pair of jeans she’d been wearing since Saturday, and when she got to school with her best friend, Fangs instantly noticed. “Whoa, Tiny, you’re not wearing makeup. And you’re wearing Sweets clothes…”

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh, “well this kind of shit happens when you get locked out of the place you’re supposed to be living.”

Fangs frowned. “Wait, for real? He took your key?” Toni nodded. “I’m sorry, Toni.”

“It’s whatever. Let’s get to class, I need to distraction.”

Thankfully, school was mostly a pretty good distraction. When Toni was in her second period, her phone buzzed with a text from a certain redhead, and she found that that was also a good distraction.

**Cheryl – Good morning. How are you doing?**

**Toni – Alright, I guess. I borrowed one of Sweets’ band tees. And I’m not wearing makeup. So feels weird.**

**Cheryl – That sucks.**

**Toni – How are things with you?**

**Cheryl – Fine. Heather hasn’t texted me or acknowledged me today. I’m giving her space.**

**Cheryl – But we don’t need to talk about that.**

**Cheryl – I’m really sorry about what happened with your uncle this weekend, Toni. And if you want to talk about it more…**

**Toni – Thanks, Red, but it’s okay. I’d rather not talk about it, if I’m honest.**

**Cheryl – I can distract you by giving you a play by play of precal.**

**Toni – Do it.**

**Cheryl – Mr. K is writing the answer to a homework question on the board, he just spent the last five minutes working it out, and… oh, yeah, he did it wrong, I figured, because it didn’t match what I got.**

**Cheryl – He’s starting from scratch now.**

**Cheryl – Should I offer to help him?**

**Toni – Lmao**

**Cheryl – I won’t bother, people like that it takes him so long to go over the homework. Means that we learn less.**

**Toni – Let me guess, you’re already done with everything you would’ve been learning today anyway?**

**Cheryl – Maybe.**

**Cheryl – Oh boy, now someone has asked why he’s doing this problem this way. Let’s see if Mr. K even knows why. Place your bets.**

**Toni – I’m rooting for Mr. K.**

**Cheryl – Ooh, nope. He basically spewed some nonsense and then just kept working.**

**Cheryl – I guess that experience ticked him off. We’re being given a pop quiz again.**

**Toni – Good luck.**

**Cheryl – Thanks. I probably don’t need it.**

**Toni – I know.**

The conversation ended there, and Toni let out a soft sigh. She liked texting Cheryl way more than she should, but with everything else turning to shit in her life, she couldn’t bring herself to care. She would just try and keep things between her and Cheryl good.

When Toni got back to Sweet Pea’s trailer that afternoon, she stole some of his sweats so that she could wash her jeans, and then she lounged on the couch to do the assignment that she should’ve done over the weekend. When she was finishing it up, and about to go shower and wind down for the night, she got another text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – I think this is the longest Heather and I have gone without talking.**

**Toni – I’m sorry.**

**Cheryl – It’s just weird. And I can’t tell if I feel bad, or if I should feel bad.**

**Toni – I don’t think you should.**

**Cheryl – I know.**

Toni let out a breath. She still wasn’t in the right headspace to talk about Heather, she was realizing, so she quickly texted Cheryl that she was hopping in the shower, and that way she had an excuse to not text her back about Heather. After Saturday, it was harder to listen to Cheryl talk about Heather, because Toni couldn’t stop thinking about how Cheryl had been there for her so unexpectedly, and without Toni even having to ask. It was so sweet, and Toni wanted to believe there was something else behind it. She had no way of knowing if there was, though, and that was what made it so hard.

The rest of the week wasn’t the best, if Toni was honest. On Tuesday, Cheryl texted her about Heather again.

**Cheryl – Good news! Heather forgave me for lying and didn’t even ask me to give her the truth about Saturday or anything.**

**Toni – Oh, that’s good.**

**Cheryl – Yeah. I hate fighting with her.**

**Toni – Because she makes you feel like shit?**

**Cheryl – No, because I don’t like hurting my best friend.**

**Toni – Alright, Red, whatever you say.**

**Cheryl – What? What are you wanting to say that you’re not saying?**

**Toni – Did she apologize for coming to your house and yelling at you? Did she admit that she overreacted?**

**Cheryl – No.**

**Toni – You didn’t deserve to be treated that way, but she didn’t even consider how she hurt you the past couple of days. And neither did you! You felt completely at fault for lying to her. Do you think you deserved to be ignored for two days and then forgiven for something that wasn’t even that big of a deal?**

Toni stared at her screen as she waited for Cheryl to respond, and when the redhead finally did, the response was underwhelming.

**Cheryl – I… don’t know what to say.**

**Toni – That’s okay. I’ve got work soon, so I’ll talk to you later.**

**Cheryl – Okay.**

Toni did talk to Cheryl later, over the next rest of the week, they texted briefly. But Toni found herself too distracted with her own life to think much about it. Sweet Pea’s dad was having no luck getting Tristan to talk to him, and Toni didn’t want to try and break into her uncle’s trailer until the conversation had happened, in case there was any chance of salvaging her living situation.

She was trying to stay positive, but the truth was that this was the worst situation she had been in in years. Things had been mostly okay up until now.

When the school week ended, and it was officially spring break, Toni found herself feeling a little more hopeful. On Sunday, Vic finally got the chance to talk to Toni’s uncle, and when he got back to the trailer after, Toni looked at him expectantly.

“How’d it go?”

Vic sighed. “I’m sorry, Toni. It didn’t go great. I tried to reason with him about how you’re almost eighteen and how he took on this commitment… but he went off me about the same as I imagine he must’ve gone off on you.”

“I’m a waste of space?” Toni asked with a sad laugh.

“Although no one else thinks that,” Vic said pointedly, “yes, that is what he said. Look… I don’t know what you’re going to do to get your stuff, I don’t want to know. But you can stay here as long as you need. Maybe just pitch in with groceries or bills every now and then.”

Toni nodded, trying to look at this in a positive light, although she couldn’t really think of what about this was really positive except for the fact that she didn’t have to deal with her uncle once she got her stuff out of his trailer. “Well. Thanks for trying.”

“Of course,” Vic answered with a nod.

On Monday, Toni and Sweet Pea decided that it was time for Toni get finally get her stuff out from her uncle’s trailer. They spent the day hanging out and staking out the trailer. When it was starting to get into the evening, and they finally saw Tristan leave, they verified that he’d headed toward the bar, and started to actually get ready for the break-in. Sweet Pea dug out his lock-breaking items, and as he did, Toni felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She grabbed it instinctively and saw that it was Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Hey, you busy?**

Toni pursed her lips as she replied.

**Toni – Kind of… why? What’s up?**

**Cheryl – Oh, if you’re busy, then never mind. I just don’t have anything to do, so I was going to ask if you wanted to… hang out, I guess.**

Toni lifted a curious eyebrow, immediately wondering if she was, once again, second to Heather. She tried not to sigh as she decided she would find out before agreeing to hang out with Cheryl. Toni didn’t want to be a hypocrite, because she knew that she had been before.

**Toni – Ah. What’s Heather up to?**

**Cheryl – She asked me if I wanted to go to a bar with her, to scope out guys. I told her I didn’t want to, so now I have a free afternoon and evening.**

Toni felt something like pride swell in her chest as she read the message, and realized that it meant that Cheryl, for the first time at least since Toni had met her, had turned down hanging out with Heather even when there was no for-sure alternative activity for her to do.

“Hey, Sweets,” Toni said, looking up at her friend, who had busied himself on his phone as well.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Is it cool if I invite Cheryl?”

Sweet Pea looked up at her with a funny look on his face, but then he just said, “It’s your grand break-in, whoever you want to be there can be there.” Toni chuckled, rolling her eyes as she texted Cheryl back.

**Toni – Well, in that case. If you’d like to, Sweet Pea and I are currently planning our break in to my uncle’s trailer to get my stuff.**

**Cheryl – His dad’s talk with your uncle didn’t go well?**

**Toni – No, he couldn’t even get my uncle to have a conversation with him until last night. I’ve been wearing the same pair of pants with random shirts Sweet Pea has let me borrow for like a week. And my uncle basically just yelled about how unappreciative I always am and how I’m a waste of space, blah blah. So, I’m going to go in, get my stuff, and probably start giving some of my paycheck every other week to Sweet Pea’s dad as rent.**

**Toni – So, you wanna help us break in?**

There was a pause before Cheryl replied, and Toni wondered if Cheryl wouldn’t be up for the activity.

**Cheryl – Why not? Leaving now.**

Toni grinned.

**Toni – Cool. Meet us at Sweet Pea’s.**

“She’s on her way,” Toni said, pocketing her phone.

Sweet Pea nodded. “Cool. I’m kind of surprised she’d want to join in on a robbery.”

“It’s hardly a real robbery.”

When Cheryl got there about twenty minutes later, she texted that she didn’t know where Sweet Pea’s trailer was, and Toni responded with walking directions. Toni found herself sitting down on the couch, trying not to seem too eager for Cheryl to arrive, although she was feeling unusually excited about it. She knew that it was because Cheryl seemed to be making progress in getting over Heather, and Toni wanted to think that gave her a chance. Yeah, maybe she could finally admit to herself that she wanted that chance.

There was a knock on the trailer door, and Sweet Pea hopped up to let Cheryl in. “Hey, Red!”

“Hi,” Cheryl answered quietly.

“Come on in!” Sweet Pea stepped back to let her in, and Toni looked over to see that Cheryl glanced around the room slightly, before her gaze focused on Toni.

“Hey,” Toni offered, smiling.

“Hey. So… planning a break in, right?”

“Barely,” Sweet Pea answered with a chuckle. “We’re just gonna bust the lock on the door, it’s really easy to do on most of the trailers.”

Cheryl looked to Toni. “And your uncle isn’t home?”

“No, we saw him leave almost an hour ago, and Sweet Pea followed him for long enough to know that he going to the White Wyrm. He only goes there when he knows I’m not working, and he stays there for as long as possible. So there’s no chance he gets home while we’re in there.”

Sweet Pea stood up a little straighter and said, “Alright, well now that the last member of our party is here, I think we’re ready to go?” Toni hopped up from the couch with a nod, and the three of them left the trailer. Toni and Sweet Pea led Cheryl to Tristan’s trailer.

“This is it,” she said. “Okay, so Sweets and I will break the lock, and then you can come help me get my stuff, Red, while he keeps watch outside.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cheryl agreed, and Toni swore she could hear something like excitement in her tone of voice. Toni smiled a little as she and Sweet Pea stepped up in front of the door. Toni didn’t really do anything, just watching as he busted the lock with his meager tools.

Once she heard it break, she pushed open the door and said, “Come on, Cheryl.” When they walked in, and the door closed behind them, Cheryl was looking around the trailer with a frown. “Sorry,” Toni said jokingly, “no time for a house tour.” She laughed a little at herself, but Cheryl stayed silent. Toni started down the hallway, and Cheryl followed her.

Toni grabbed her duffle bag from under her bed, and her backpack, which was still resting by her dresser.

“Do you mind stepping into the bathroom and grabbing everything on the bottom shelf of the medicine cabinet?” She asked, handing her backpack to the redhead. “And just toss it in here?”

“Sure,” Cheryl agreed, taking the bag and going into the bathroom. While Cheryl did that, Toni opened her dresser drawers and stuffed her duffel. She also grabbed the last of her school stuff that had been here, and the few knickknacks that she owned. “Just the stuff on that shelf?”

“Yeah,” Toni answered. “Everything else is in here.”

Cheryl came back into the room, and Toni zipped up her duffel so she could take the backpack from the girl. She filled it with the last of her makeup, and then closed that bag up as well, before grabbing both bags. She looked at Cheryl, who looked a little faraway still.

“You good?”

Cheryl’s voice was quiet as she answered, “Yeah.”

“A bit of a culture shock?” Toni asked with a smirk, although she was being serious.

“I guess you could say that.”

Softly, Toni said, “Come on, Red.” They walked out of the bedroom and back into the living and kitchen area.

“Is anything out here yours?”

“No, if I leave anything out here, my uncle trashes it—or, sometimes, pawns it.” Toni rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”

“Bout time,” Sweet Pea said as soon as they left the trailer, “I was about to get worried!” He gave them both a big grin, and Toni shook her head in amusement.

“You’re so weird. Come on, let’s bring this over to your place.”

“Is he going to get angry when he realizes?” Cheryl asked, after they shut the door—lock still broken, of course—and started back to Sweet Pea’s place.

“Oh, for sure. But if I don’t live with him anymore, he pretty much has no power over me. And I can take him for sure, don’t worry, Red,” Toni teased. Cheryl rolled her eyes at the answer, and Toni laughed a little. She hadn’t felt so free in a while—maybe, as sucky as this situation was, it was for the best.

Back at Sweet Pea’s trailer, Toni dropped her two bags on Sweet Pea’s couch, and then remembered that she still had the things that Cheryl had brought her that night at the Wyrm.

“Oh, by the way,” she said, going to grab them from the small space between the couch and the wall, “this is your stuff you let me borrow for the Wyrm.”

“Oh, I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks. I’ll have to remember to bring it with me when I leave.”

“Are you guys hungry?” Sweet Pea asked suddenly. “We should order pizza or something. Maybe we can go light a bonfire.”

Toni thought it sounded like a good idea, but she didn’t know if Cheryl would be up for it. She looked at the redhead curiously. “You down?”

“Sure,” Cheryl responded with a nod, and Toni felt her heart skip a beat. She really needed to calm down—just because Cheryl had voluntarily hung out with Toni _instead of_ Heather, it didn’t mean that she was suddenly into Toni like that. And Toni shouldn’t expect that.

So Sweet Pea ordered pizza, and they left the trailer to head to the makeshift firepit at the front of Sunnyside.

“Shit,” Sweet Pea said as they reached it, “we need something to fucking light it. I’ll be right back.”

“Let’s start gathering up some logs for it,” Toni suggested, gesturing to the woods around the trailer park, as Sweet Pea ran back to his trailer. Cheryl and Toni started to gather up some dry logs, and Toni could tell that Cheryl wanted to say something.

Finally, the Northsider asked, “So, how are you feeling about not being able to go back to your uncle’s?”

“I don’t care about him,” Toni answered with a shrug, “and that place is hardly a home. It’ll be fine.”

“But… it must be hard?” Cheryl said, looking at Toni closely. Toni kept her expression steady. She wasn’t accustomed to opening up to people about this sort of stuff. Sweet Pea and Fangs knew how tough it was for her, but they wouldn’t ever push her to really open up about it. Toni wasn’t sure anyone ever had, until this moment.

“Look, Red,” Toni said quietly, “I don’t have time to be upset about it. My life is different than yours. This isn’t something that’s ever been out of the realm of possibility. I started developing backup plans for where to live when I was _eleven_ years old. I’m fine, I swear.” Cheryl just nodded, and Toni was glad that the conversation was over. They brought the firewood back to the firepit, and Sweet Pea was coming back to toward them with some matches in his hand.

“I was going to grab some lighter fluid, but last time, that got out of hand…” He gave Toni one of his big dopey grins, and Toni rolled her eyes.

“Don’t even joke about that. Trust me when I say, it was a disaster. It might not be the worse _idea_ ever, but Sweet Pea’s execution was… way worse than ideal.”

Cheryl smiled a little. “I believe it.”

Sweet Pea lit a match and tossed it into the pile of wood, which immediately caught fire. “Nice! Now all we’re missing is the pizza.”

“And some beer,” Toni added thoughtfully.

“Let me text Fangs,” Sweet Pea suggested. “I bet his sister has plenty.”

Cheryl gave Toni a curious look. “Fangs?” Toni realized that Cheryl had no idea who pretty much any of the other Serpents were, other than Cody and Jughead.

“He’s another of our friends who lives here. He’s also a Serpent.”

“Is that his real name?”

Toni gave her a funny look. “I’m surprised you’re asking that, but you’ve never questioned Sweet Pea’s nickname.”

Cheryl hummed, and Toni couldn’t help but smile fondly. “You make a good point.”

“Alright!” Sweet Pea announced. “Fangs is bringing beers, and he’s going to join us.”

“So now we’re going to be having a party?” Toni asked.

“Wasn’t it a party already? Or not, since it was just us three? Would that make it a threesome?” Sweet Pea grinned at his own joke, but Toni faked a gag and saw Cheryl cringing.

“Gross, Sweets,” she said with a shake of her head.

They stood around the fire for a little while, and after a few minutes, Sweet Pea decided that the fire needed more logs, and he ran off to grab a few. Toni found her gaze landing on Cheryl, who looked pretty comfortable being here, in all honesty. Toni didn’t know what to say to the redhead, who stayed silent as well, so she just busied herself on her phone until Sweet Pea jogged back over to them.

“There we go,” he said happily. “Oh, look who it is!”

Toni saw Fangs, Felicity, and Joaquin all headed their way, beers in tow.

“Hey, guys!” Fangs called out in greeting.

“Cheryl,” Toni said, “this is Fangs and his sister Felicity. And this is Joaquin.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Cheryl said, and Toni noticed that Felicity was glaring at Cheryl. While she didn’t really blame the older girl, since Cheryl was a Northsider, she instinctively wanted to protect Cheryl.

“So, what’s going on? Is this a party or what?” Fangs asked.

“Why not?” Toni answered with a shrug. “Good a time for a party as ever. I just freed my belongings from my asshole uncle.”

“So, we should definitely celebrate,” Felicity said with a laugh, setting down the cases of beer and opening them up, passing them around. Just as they were doing so, a car drove up to the front of Sunnyside with their pizza delivery, and Sweet Pea ran over to grab it.

“Two pizzas?” Fangs demanded. “Is that supposed to feed all of us?”

“We ordered before we planned to have a party,” Toni answered with an eyeroll, and Fangs answered that by immediately putting in an order for four more pizzas.

“We can eat, though, right?” Cheryl asked with a chuckle, as Sweet Pea appeared with the two pizza boxes.

“Definitely,” Toni confirmed, and she, Sweet Pea, and Cheryl dug into their dinner.

People started to file out of their trailers and come and join the party, the usual thing that happened when someone started a bonfire. Tall Boy came out and started to set up his grill, and FP came out and was hanging out with him a few of the older Serpents. Cody came out with his senior friends, and they brought out a bunch of plastic chairs.

“Hey, Cody,” Sweet Pea hollered, “let me get three of those for the people who started this party.”

Cody rolled his eyes but nodded at his friend to bring three chairs over to Sweet Pea, allowing him, Toni, and Cheryl to sit down. Toni got wrapped up in conversation with her friends, although she kept and eye out to see how Cheryl was doing. The girl was being quiet, which she seemed to always do when around the Serpents, and Toni didn’t really blame her.

When Betty and Jughead started coming out to join the party, Sweet Pea hollered for them to come join them, and Toni wondered how Cheryl would react to seeing people she knew from school here. The redhead, though, didn’t seem all that fazed, even when Betty said, “Cheryl, didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, well,” Cheryl started, “I was uh, helping Toni and Sweet Pea with something here earlier.”

“Yeah,” Toni confirmed with a smirk, “we broke into my uncle’s trailer to steal all my stuff back.”

Jughead did not look happy to hear that. “You did _what_?”

Toni let out an annoyed huff at how condescending he sounded. This was one of the reasons that they weren’t super close friends. “Oh, cool it, Jones. It was all _my_ stuff that I took. He’ll just need to replace the lock.”

Jughead didn’t look placated at all. “Well you know he’s going to go to my dad now and complain about the Serpents.”

“Chill, man,” Sweet Pea said impatiently. “She needed her stuff, what was she supposed to do? He was refusing to let her inside.”

“Come on, Jug, just drop it.” Betty touched his arm lightly. “This is a party, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Toni piped up, “although it was supposed to just be a chill hangout, but…”

“Well,” Fangs interrupted, “if this is a party, then where’s the music?”

“We can go grab my speaker?” Sweet Pea suggested.

Toni nodded, and offered, “I’ll get it. I need to go to the bathroom anyway.” As she stood up, she could practically feel Cheryl tense in the seat next to her. Toni had already been planning to offer to have Cheryl to come with her, but she was even more sure of it now, and she looked down at the Northsider and asked, “Wanna come with?”

Cheryl nodded, and they started back toward Sweet Pea’s trailer. Toni couldn’t really gauge was Cheryl was thinking, so she decided to ask.

“Not having fun?” she wondered.

“No, I am,” Cheryl insisted. “Actually, this is the most fun I’ve had at a party in a while.”

Toni couldn’t even fight her smile. “I’m glad.”

“So, your uncle isn’t a Serpent?”

“No. He never got into it. He always thought it was stupid. It’s why he doesn’t like Sweet Pea’s family—all of them are Serpents. It’s probably why he hates me so much. But… they’re more of a family than he ever was to me.”

Cheryl nodded, and Toni half expected her to ask a follow up question, but she stayed silent.

They went inside Sweet Pea’s trailer, which was still empty. Vic and Noah had gone out to do something or another earlier that day, and they hadn’t returned yet. “I’m going to go to the bathroom. I think the speaker is in Sweet Pea’s room down the hall—the one with the blue bed covers—if you wanna grab it?” Cheryl nodded, and Toni went to the bathroom.

When she emerged, Cheryl had the speaker, and they left the trailer, at which point, Cheryl’s phone started to buzz from her pocket. Toni kept walking a few paces before she realized that Cheryl had stopped to check it.

“Do you need to take that?” Toni wondered, pretty sure that it must be Heather, and wondering if her time with Cheryl was up.

“No.”

Toni tried not to smile, biting down in the inside of her cheek, as Cheryl caught up with her and they finished their walk back to the bonfire. Toni tossed the speaker at Sweet Pea and sat back down, Cheryl doing the same in the seat next to her, and then the redhead was wrapped up in her phone. Toni wished that she knew what the texts she was looking at said, but Toni was not about to make things weird by asking.

By now, the pizzas Fangs had ordered were pretty much all gone, and Tall Boy was actively grilling burgers. The party was in full swing, and Toni and Cheryl each got their second beer of the night. Toni felt pretty relaxed, and she was enjoying the fact that Cheryl was here, even though she wasn’t participating much in the conversation.

At some point, though, the group they were hanging out with started talking about how the Northside always got the new things in the town, while the Southside kept having places get shut down and never replaced.

“Hey, Red,” Sweet Pea said, seeming to surprise Cheryl a little, “what’s the shittiest part of the Northside?”

“Umm… there’s this ice cream place that closed last year, and someone busted out the windows, and it’s been like that ever since?”

“Oh shit, yeah that was the Ghoulies,” Fangs exclaimed. “We scared ‘em off afterwards, though.”

“And now the Northside is one ice cream shop short,” Toni teased with a chuckle.

Cheryl shrugged. “The ice cream was pretty shitty, anyway.” That got a few laughs from people around the group, and Toni could tell that Cheryl was feeling a little more comfortable now. She started to join the conversation a little more, which Toni was glad about out.

It was getting kind of late when Toni saw her uncle walking into the trailer park. She cursed under her breath as she kicked her best friend, and then looked to Cheryl and said, “That’s my uncle. We might need to dip soon.”

“Speak for yourself,” Sweet Pea said, “I’m not letting your uncle make me leave my own party.”

“Well, there’s no evidence that you even helped, so I guess that’s fair.”

“I thought you weren’t too worried about him?” Cheryl asked, and Toni wasn’t, really. She just didn’t want him to come to the party and yell at her in front of everyone. Toni’s uncle yelling at her was one of the few things that instantly made Toni feel vulnerable. She didn’t need other Serpents seeing that.

“I’m not,” she insisted, “but that doesn’t mean I want him to come cause a huge scene over here. But now he’ll notice if I go back to sweet Pea’s trailer.”

“Well, then let’s go somewhere else?” Cheryl suggested, her head tilting slightly. Toni stared at the girl for a moment, surprised at the suggestion, and also trying to figure out what Cheryl was thinking. Toni found her heart aching—she wanted so badly for Cheryl to want to hang out with her as more than friends, and she hated that she was finally admitting this to herself, because now every moment with Cheryl felt so much more intense.

Finally, she nodded, and said, “There’s a park a little ways down the road?”

“Works for me.”

“Cool… let’s steal some beers and burgers first, though.” They stood up, and Toni glanced at Sweet Pea. “We’re gonna disappear for a while so Tristan doesn’t try and start something.”

“Alright, dude,” Sweet Pea said, “see you guys later.”

“See you, Toni!” Fangs, Joaquin, and Felicity echoed in the group, and Betty and Jughead waved goodbye to her and Cheryl as they each grabbed a beer.

The two of them walked over to Tall Boy, and Toni said, “Hey Tall Boy, can we get a couple?” He looked warily at Cheryl but handed over two burgers on paper plates.

Then they started the walk to the park, and Toni wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what, so they stayed silent. When they got to the park, Toni led Cheryl to the bench that overlooked the old playground, and they started to eat.

The quiet was peaceful to Toni, even though they could hear some party sounds off in the distance. But it made Toni realize how close Cheryl was to her, and how badly she wished she could reach over and touch her. She took down a few gulps of her beer to try and distract her, although she was sure that was not going to help at all.

“You know,” Cheryl said suddenly, her voice surprisingly gentle, “I expected to be able to hear more sounds indicated _crime_ on the Southside.”

Toni smiled a little as she chuckled and answered, “Trust me, we have those nights.” Now that they had broken the silence, Toni felt like it would be awkward to drift back into it, so she decided to ask the one thing she could think of. “So… was that Heather calling you earlier?” Cheryl nodded. “Why didn’t you answer?”

“I knew if it was an emergency, she’d text me after. She _did_ text me after, but it wasn’t an emergency. So, I didn’t see the need to call her back.” She said it like it was obvious, despite everything she had said and done in the past. “I was having a good time.”

Toni feigned shock. “You mean _you_ , Cheryl Blossom, can have _real fun_ without Heather?”

Cheryl rolled her eyes, and Toni thought she saw a slight blush on her cheeks through the darkness. “If you keep that up,” she said quietly, “maybe I won’t be having fun anymore.”

“Just admit it, Red,” Toni teased, her voice quieter now as well, “you like hanging out with me.”

“More than I would’ve expected,” Cheryl admitted with a quiet laugh. “It’s nice to hang out with someone who… I don’t know? Listens.”

Toni nodded slowly. “You’re not so bad either,” she offered.

“I think talking to you about Heather has actually helped, too,” Cheryl admitted. “I feel like I might finally be starting to get over her. Although… sometimes it’s hard to not go with what I would do for her in the past. You know?”

“Definitely,” Toni said, nodding. She wasn’t sure she’d had that exact experience, but she was more than glad to hear that Cheryl felt like she was getting over Heather. “Hey, at least you asked me for advice and not Sweet Pea. His advice would’ve been to get underneath someone else. He thinks that’s the only way to get over someone.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried that,” Cheryl admitted. “It did not work.”

Toni was very surprised to hear that, but then she realized that Cheryl probably meant she’d hooked up with a guy. “With a girl?” she asked for clarification, because she had gotten the impression that Cheryl was a lesbian, and not into guys - maybe she'd been wrong?

“No.”

“Well then, how could you expect it to work?” Toni wondered, to which Cheryl shrugged.

“I don’t know. At the time, I don’t think I’d really thought much about… sexuality. I knew I liked girls, but I hadn’t decided that I didn’t really like guys. I think, until recently, I thought that maybe there was a still a chance that I did. Although, my first time with a guy was… entirely forgettable. It wasn’t even really _bad_ , just so… boring. And a little bit disgusting.”

Toni teased her at that, “Sounds like you should’ve known your sexuality by then. Except well, obviously it’s complicated.” She took in a breath. “When I first realized I liked a girl, I thought that I must be a lesbian. It wasn’t until after that that I realized that I was still attracted to guys, and I gave hooking up with them a try.”

“So, have you only actually been with guys?” Cheryl wondered, surprising Toni at how direct the question was. “Sorry if that’s… prying.”

Toni shrugged. “No, I’ve been with a couple of guys and a couple of girls.” Cheryl nodded and took a drink. The conversation dropped off there as Toni decided to quickly finish her burger, because it looked like Cheryl was not going to eat anymore of hers. When she finished eating, she cleared her throat and said, “I was surprised that you didn’t go give Cody a piece of your mind at that party.”

Clearly confused, Cheryl asked, “Why?”

“He dumped Heather. I figured that would’ve pissed you off.”

“Everyone who dates Heather dumps her, because she picks guys who aren’t ready to settle down. It’s not really their fault. I guess he did it in not the greatest way, but…” Cheryl shrugged. “Plus… I don’t know, even besides Heather’s usual issues, I guess I didn’t expect it to last.”

“Why?” Toni wondered.

Cheryl shifted a little, facing Toni a little more and meeting her gaze. “Because… I don’t know. Don’t you think it must be hard to be in a relationship with someone who lives such a different life from you?”

Toni felt a lump in her throat, but she did her best to ignore it as she answered, “Maybe, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Look at Betty and Jughead.”

“But… Jughead isn’t fully living his life on the Southside, he goes to school at Riverdale High.”

“So?” Toni asked. “Betty still hangs out on the Southside a lot, she’s gotten to know a lot of the Serpents. And Jughead’s been getting more and more into the Serpents lately. And she’s fully onboard with it.”

“I guess so. But Heather… I don’t know. She never really said good things about the Southside until we went to the White Wyrm that night, and then she was all into the guys there and saying that it wasn’t impossible to date them. And then, she and Cody broke up, and she’s back to thinking everyone on the Southside is terrible.”

Toni knew that she was being a little selfishly hopeful as she asked, “Well, how about you? You’ve gotten to know some of us, and you insulted the Southside probably like ten times the first two times I met you. Do you still _really_ believe that it’s so hard to merge two groups of people from either side?”

Cheryl shrugged. “Everyone here is just so different from the people that I know.”

“Obviously. But the question is, is that _bad_?”

Toni didn’t get an answer, and it looked like Cheryl was wrapped up in her thoughts. Toni found herself staring at the beautiful girl, and she did her best to pull her gaze away.

“You done with your burger?” Cheryl nodded, so Toni stood up and grabbed all of their trash, walking them over to a trashcan a few paces away. She dumped the trash and turned back around to see that Cheryl’s eyes were focused on her. She expected them to dart away, but as Toni walked back up to the bench, she just kept staring. Toni felt something hot in the pit of her stomach.

“What are you staring at?” Toni asked, raising an eyebrow as her heartrate picked up.

Cheryl blinked, looking like a deer caught in the headlights for a second, before she answered, “You have a Serpent tattoo somewhere.”

“Of course,” Toni answered, giving Cheryl a funny look.

“Where?” Cheryl wondered.

Toni sat back down on the bench, her heart still beating fast. “My hip. I was going to do it on the back of my shoulder, but I wanted it somewhere where I could see it sometimes. So it can remind me of my friends and family, and that I belong somewhere.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what the initiation is for Serpents?”

Toni smirked. “If you wanna know, I’ll tell you.” Cheryl nodded enthusiastically. “Well, for guys, it involves babysitting the Serpents’ dog—Hot Dog—and then memorizing all the things in the Serpent code.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“Oh, I’m not done, Red. Then, they have to reach into a tank with the snake in it, and _then_ , they get beaten up by all of the other Serpent guys.”

Cheryl winced. “Oh, yeah… that sounds less than pleasant. I’m now scared to ask about what it’s like for girls.”

Toni smiled a little, despite what she was about to admit. “The first three things are the same. But, since the founders of the Serpents were more than a bit sexist, the last thing a girl has to do to join the Serpents is…” She took in a breath. “To do a like… dance slash striptease performance. At the White Wyrm. In front of all the rest of the Serpents.”

Cheryl’s jaw dropped, and she looked disgusted—Toni didn’t blame her. “That’s absolutely barbaric! Aren’t so many of the Serpents like, old men? That’s disgusting!” The girl’s face suddenly paled a little. “Did… did you have to do it?”

Toni nodded, trying not to think about it too much as she said, “Yeah. I mean, I’ve pretty much been a Serpent since I was born. But in that case, girls are allowed to do it either at age sixteen or eighteen. But you’re not _fully_ a Serpent until you’ve done it. So I did it a few days after I turned sixteen.”

“You were _sixteen_ ,” Cheryl repeated, “and you basically stripped in front of all those people? That is absolutely horrific.”

Toni felt a pit in her stomach thinking about it, but she just shrugged and answered, “It’s whatever.” She was disappointed that the conversation died after that, and after a few minutes of sitting there in silence, Cheryl took back the last of her beer, let out a breath, and then looked at Toni.

“I should maybe get home.”

“Okay. I’ll walk you back to Sunnyside so you can grab those blankets and pillows.”

“Is it okay if I get them form you some other time?” Cheryl asked, surprising Toni. “I don’t… really wanna walk through the party and have everyone ask why I’m leaving.” It seemed like a weird reason, but Toni just nodded.

“Okay, well I’ll still walk back with you. I should probably face my uncle sooner rather than later—unless he’s already shut himself in his trailer. That would be ideal.”

Cheryl laughed a little, and as they stood up, she said, “Oh, and feel free to keep using those blankets and stuff until I get the chance to take them home. They won’t do anyone any good just sitting around unused.”

Toni looked at Cheryl, realizing that that was the real reason that Cheryl didn’t want to bring the blankets home. She found herself wondering how Cheryl was being so casually sweet, ever since that night at the Wyrm. “Alright. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

When they got back to the parking area in front of Sunnyside, Toni smiled at the redhead as she asked, “Are you going to be okay driving home? You had… what, three beers?”

“Yeah, but it’s fine. They were pretty spaced out. I feel fine.”

“Okay… past me would be mad that I’m letting you drive with alcohol in your system. After last time.” Toni was a little mad at herself, in all honesty. She should’ve told Cheryl not to drink, or at least not encouraged her to have a third beer. The truth was that Toni hadn’t even thought about it, because she had, selfishly, wanted Cheryl to drink a little and relax so they could have a good time.

“I’ll be fine, I swear,” Cheryl assured her with a smile, and Toni's heart skipped a beat. “I’ll even let you know when I get home.”

“Good. Drive safe, I’ll see you around,” Toni said.

“Bye, Toni.”

Cheryl got in her car and drove off, and Toni walked back to the party. “Tiny!” Sweet Pea called, and she veered over to where her friend was. “Your uncle did come by, I told him I didn’t know where you were. I think he holed up after that.”

“Thanks,” she said with a sigh of relief.

“Red left?”

“Yeah, it’s getting late. I think I’m gonna crash, too.”

“Oh, okay,” Sweet Pea said in surprise. “Well, I’ll try not to wake you when I get back later.”

“It’ll be fine,” Toni insisted. “Night.”

Toni made her way back to the trailer, at which point she looked at the soft blankets sitting on the couch—the ones Cheryl was refusing to bring back so that Toni could have more blankets to sleep with. Toni felt her heart skip a beat, and ache at the same time. She thought about the gorgeous Cheryl Blossom being so sweet all of the sudden, hiding it as best as she could, but not enough to fool Toni. She thought about those dark eyes staring at Toni at the park, and suddenly Toni felt something wake up between her legs.

She glanced around the trailer to see that it was still empty—no signs of Noah or Vic. It wasn’t unusual, so she wasn’t fazed, instead she was actually pleased. She quickly grabbed some pajamas and slipped into the bathroom for a shower. Once she was under the water, which was only coming out an unfortunate lukewarm, she thought back to Cheryl openly staring at her in the park, and then asking about her tattoo. She wondered what had been going on inside Cheryl's mind in that moment.

Toni couldn’t help herself as she dragged her hands across her body, squeezing her nipples before lowering her right hand down to her center. Cheryl Blossom was all that was on her mind, and she felt a little bad about how she was trying to resolve it, but she really couldn’t help herself. Her flingers slid between her folds, and she gasped quietly as she pressed her thumb into her somewhat swollen clit. She hadn’t realized she’d been horny already, but she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. She had been around Cheryl for many hours, and that girl was not only incredibly beautiful, but beyond sexy.

Toni touched herself until she got her relief, and then she quickly washed her body and hair, and readied herself for bed. No one was back when she laid down in her makeshift bed on the couch and realized that she hadn’t gotten a text from Cheryl yet.

**Toni – You get back alright?**

**Cheryl – Yes, sorry. I had a bit of a catastrophe as soon as I arrived home, before I was able to text you.**

**Toni – What happened?**

**Cheryl – Heather was at my house. I had to do a bit of half-lying to get her to not be pissed at me for lying about where I was.**

**Toni – Damn. Well… everything is fine now?**

**Cheryl – Yeah, and for once, I maybe even have the upper hand. She “forgave” me, but she never apologized and she chose to hang out with my brother when I told her I wasn’t free. The only reason I can think of for her to do that would be to piss me off. So, I’m officially mad at her, and this is the first time I’ve been mad at her and she knows it. Perhaps even the first time that I’m fully aware of it.**

**Cheryl – It actually feels kind of good to be angry. That’s probably a little fucked up.**

**Toni – I don’t think it is. It feels good for someone who’s treated you wrong to finally get a slight taste of how they’ve made you feel. I get that.**

**Cheryl – I think I’m going to get some sleep.**

**Toni – Good idea. I’ll see you... when I see you.**

**Cheryl – Goodnight, Toni.**

**Toni – Night, Cheryl.**

Toni felt a little bad about being happy that Cheryl was angry at Heather, but at the same time she was glad. If tonight was any indication, Toni was clearly deep in her feelings for Cheryl. And the first step to maybe eventually exploring them was for Cheryl to get over her best friend.

Toni went to sleep that night feeling a bit lighter than normal, hoping that things were on the up for her after all of the shit she’d been going through lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I just really think that there's no way Toni wasn't feeling horny all the time while she was crushing on Cheryl okay??  
> I know a lot of this chapter was pretty similar to the version in What A Time, but I hope you enjoyed the little parts with just Toni and the new Choni texts and getting a peek into Toni's head during the party!
> 
> I hope you all know that no matter what you think, you are so loved and appreciated and important. Valentine's Day is a day about love - all kinds of love - and I think there's nothing more important than self love, especially in the times we're living in now. Make sure to treat yourself this Valentine's Day, whether it's by taking a hot bath, having your favorite desserts, giving yourself an extra break, or reminding yourself how incredible you are <3 And know that I appreciate you all being here reading this, and being here on this Earth in the first place <3
> 
> This time I really mean it when I say back to every other day updates haha. So I'll see you all on Tuesday <3 In the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories - you can go see pictures of me and my gf in the snow today hehe. Have a great day y'all! x


	9. you cling to my body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni tries to resist the urge to hang out with Cheryl over the next few days, but does not regret it when she finally gives in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening everyone <3  
> If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know that I've been having a *time* the past two days. Texas (and other places) was hit/is being hit by a crazy ass snowstorm. We've had subfreezing temps since Saturday and snow since Sunday. Our infrastructure isn't built for this ish so power is out in a ton of places, water is out in lots of places, lots of us don't have gas stoves, gas fireplaces, firewood, or anything like that. My apartment's power was out for ~34 hours before my brother in law managed to drive an hour to come get me and my girlfriend, and now we're staying with them for the rest of the week. Hopefully by Friday our power will be back. :/
> 
> Anyway. Just a life update if you were interested. We're safe and warm now, thankfully.
> 
> Which means that I am so happy to be able to provide you guys an update on time <3 Enjoy! xx

Toni wanted to text Cheryl all day on Tuesday, because she hadn’t gotten a text from her, but she forced herself to refrain from doing so. It made her feel more in control, despite the growing feelings she had for the Northsider.

So, Toni spent Tuesday chilling with Sweet Pea’s family instead, playing card games with Noah and Sweets and helping Vic make some barbecue for dinner. As much as she wished she could have her own space, she had to admit that she liked feeling like she had a real family when she stayed with Sweets’ and his family.

On Wednesday, Toni had rounds in the morning to distract her from the fact that she wanted to text Cheryl. When she got back, ready to start thinking about lunch, she was very unhappy to see her uncle was pacing in front of Sweet Pea’s trailer. “What do you want?” she called, crossing her arms over her chest as Tristan looked up at her. He was very clearly drunk, but it was barely the afternoon. “Morning drinking doesn’t suit you.”

“Shut the fuck up,” he snapped, “you broke into my fucking trailer!”

“To get _my_ fucking stuff,” Toni argued, “that you didn’t give me the chance to take. I thought you’d be happy to see it gone, since it means I won’t ever be back.”

“I have to get a new fucking lock because of you! So here you are again, draining my fucking wallet! I could go to the fucking cops!”

“Do it!” Toni growled. “Go to Sheriff Keller, who literally gives no shits about us on the Southside and tell him how the minor that _you’re_ supposed to be taking care had to break in to get her belongings after you locked her out.”

“You stole from me!” he yelled. “I could get you locked _up_!”

“So, what are you fucking waiting for?” Toni demanded.

“I could go to the leader of your stupid gang. FP.”

“What do you think he’s going to do?”

“I don’t care, honestly,” Tristan spat, “but there should be fucking consequences for breaking and entering my fucking property.”

“I’m out of your trailer, isn’t that what you wanted? You can save up your cash and get the fuck out of Riverdale now, right? I’m out of your hair! Consider us not even fucking family!” Toni exclaimed.

“Damn right we’re not family!” Tristan exclaimed.

Toni rolled her eyes. “Great, so it’s settled. We never need to see each other again. Or are you going to fuck that up by going to the cops, or FP, and make us have to endure each other for even longer?”

Tristan looked pissed, but he spat, “Fine, little bitch. You stay out of my trailer, _forever_ , and I won’t go to the fucking cops.”

“Not a problem. I never want to step foot in that nasty ass trailer again anyway.”

“Ungrateful little bitch,” Tristan snapped.

“Hey!” Vic was yelling suddenly, coming out from the trailer. “Get out of here, Tristan, leave her alone. You got what you wanted, she’s out.”

Tristan finally stalked off, and Toni let out a breath, looking up at Vic. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“I’m going to start paying rent,” Toni heard herself say, “next week.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “Like I said before… it doesn’t have to be anything super consistent, alright? Buy groceries every now and then, or we can do like… fifty bucks a week?”

Toni nodded. “Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“When I’m eighteen, I’ll be gone.”

Vic gave her a small smile. “I trust that you will, but it’s not necessary.”

He disappeared back into the trailer, and although Toni wanted to go in to get lunch, she didn’t want this conversation to continue at all. She thought about heading over to the bar and getting something on the way, and hanging out there until her shift, but her phone beeped in that moment with a text from a girl she worked with, asking her if she could please take Toni’s shift so she could afford her rent. Toni let out a sigh and texted her back that she could of course take the shift. Toni wasn’t paying rent until next week, anyway.

Needing a distraction, Toni hopped back on her bike and drove to go get some takeout at a little Chinese restaurant on the Southside, and then drove to the Wyrm, where she went back into her spot and settled in on her crate to eat. When she was finished with her food, she found herself wishing she had a different distraction, and she grabbed her phone out of her pocket, looking at the contact of a certain Northsider for a few minutes before deciding to resist texting her just a little longer.

Because if she resisted, that meant that she had self-control, right?

She ended up back at Sweet Pea’s trailer, where she hung out for a few hours. As the evening started to set in, Jughead came over to talk Serpent business with Sweet Pea and Toni, and he ended up staying to play Call of Duty—one of Toni’s least favorite games.

It was then that she finally gave in to her desire, pulling out her phone as she sat on the couch next to Sweet Pea, who was focused on the TV screen.

**Toni – Had to talk to my uncle today. He was pissed about the break in, but he agreed not to go to authorities or FP about it as long as I’m officially moved out. And I explicitly told him I have no intention of moving back in with him. So I guess I’m officially going to start paying rent to Sweet Pea’s dad pretty soon. He said he’s fine with me staying with them at least until I turn 18 this summer.**

Toni bit the inside of her lip as she waited to see if Cheryl would reply and smiled a little when she saw that the Northsider was typing.

**Cheryl – That’s good to hear. I’m sorry things didn’t go great with your uncle. Good thing that he’s not pressing charges or anything.**

**Toni – Yeah, honestly he has no idea how to do something like that anyway.**

**Toni – How are you doing? Still dealing with aftermath from Monday with Heather?**

**Cheryl – Sort of. I texted her explaining why I’m avoiding her and why I’m frustrated with her. No response yet, but it feels good to be honest with her.**

**Toni – I’m glad.**

Toni debated whether she should ask what she wanted to ask, but in the end, she decided that she didn’t have anything to lose.

**Toni – So you think you two will be hanging out tonight?**

**Cheryl – I doubt it. Even if she texted me with an apology right now, I’d like to think I would put off hanging out with her until tomorrow at least.**

**Cheryl – Why?**

**Toni – I was supposed to work tonight, but this other bartender really needed to pick up the shift to meet her rent payment, and since I’m not starting to pay rent until next week, I let her have it. So, now I have nothing to do. And Sweet Pea and Jughead are playing Call of Duty, the one game that I hate.**

Toni chewed on the inside of her lip, her heart beating a little too fast. This is how she knew she was getting too attached. The nerves and the excitement of just seeing Cheryl, who was clearly into another girl, were starting to get to be too much. But Toni was addicted to them; she couldn’t give them up.

**Cheryl – Well, I’m free. Where do you want me to meet you?**

Relief washed over Toni, and then a new wave of anxiety came in its place. The two of them had never gone out in public together without anyone else with them, and as she came to that realization, she found herself wanting to change that. She didn’t know if Cheryl would agree to it, but she found herself sending the message anyway.

**Toni – Hmm. There’s this great pizza place near the White Wyrm?**

**Cheryl – Alright. Send me the address, I’ll leave in a couple of minutes.**

Toni let out an exhale. Cheryl had agreed—they were going out to the pizza place together, just the two of them. If Toni didn’t know that Cheryl was into Heather, she would assume it was a date. That said, how much was Cheryl even still into Heather? They were fighting right now, and Cheryl had said that it felt good to be angry at her, and to be honest about how she was angry. Toni mentally pleaded that Cheryl was over Heather, and that this was a date, as futile as she knew it was.

She sent Cheryl the address of the Southside pizza joint, stood up from the couch, collecting herself, and got a look of confusion from her two friends. “You leaving?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Yeah, I hate Call of Duty.”

“Oh—” Jughead said. “We can play something else, sorry, I totally forgot you hate this game.”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ve got plans now anyway,” Toni said.

Sweet Pea lifted an eyebrow. “Let me guess…”

“Shut it,” Toni snapped, and her best friend smirked as Jughead just looked between them in confusion.

“Am I missing something?” he asked with amusement. “What, does Toni have a hot date?”

“Hot, yes,” Sweet Pea answered, “date? Not so much.”

Jughead looked even more confused now, and Toni let out a breath. “Cheryl,” she said to her friends. “We’re going to grab some food.”

“Oh. Right, I meant to ask you… how do you even know Cheryl?”

Toni sighed. “She and Heather came to one of the bonfires a few weeks ago. When Heather and Cody were seeing each other, I guess. She beat me and Sweets at beer pong, and then her car died, and Sweets and I fixed it.”

Jughead nodded slowly. “So, you two are like, friends?”

“Aren’t you two?” Toni asked back.

Jughead scoffed. “No way would Cheryl ever consider _me_ a friend. I think she barely even considers Betty a friend. She and Heather sit with us at lunch, but they never talk to anyone other than each other and Veronica.” Toni frowned. “I’m just saying, I’ve gone to school with that girl for years, Toni. She’s bad news.”

Sweet Pea sighed. “Dude, not cool.”

“What?” Jughead demanded. “I’m just saying. Did you know in freshman year, she basically policed the school, attacking anyone who dared wear too much red? She also gave herself a nickname—Cheryl _Bombshell_. And in sophomore year, she and Heather called me hobo for a few months straight. I have no earthly idea why Cheryl Blossom would want to spend any time on the Southside, but I can promise you, whatever the reason is, it’s not good. You should steer clear of her, Toni.”

Toni scoffed now. “Okay, I know about Cheryl being a bitch, okay? But I also know what I’m doing, and I don’t need advice on who to steer clear from, okay?”

Jughead shrugged. “I’m just trying to keep you from getting hurt, Toni.”

“Dude,” Sweet Pea interrupted, “she’s seemed really nice every time I’ve talked to her. Maybe she’s different now.”

“If she has changed, I’d like to see her prove it. I’ll admit that she hasn’t seemed as toxic as usual this semester, maybe even this whole year, but Toni, if you’re _into_ her—”

“I’m not,” Toni lied. “We’re barely even friends.” Another lie. “Enjoy Call of Duty, losers. I’ll see you later.”

Toni left the trailer, her heart beating fast after the exchange with Jughead, and climbed onto her bike, about to head to the pizza place herself, and then her phone buzzed again.

**Cheryl – My car just died again.**

Toni felt her heart sink.

**Toni – Oh shit, really?**

**Cheryl – Yep. So I guess I need to call a mechanic and stay in tonight. :/**

**Toni – I’m sure Sweet Pea and I can swing by and fix it tomorrow.**

**Cheryl – That would be really nice of you two if you could.**

Toni knew that there was another way she and Chery could still go out tonight but that there was a good chance Cheryl wouldn’t agree to it. Still, Toni wanted it badly enough that she found herself texting to suggest it. Not to mention, if she walked back into Sweet Pea’s trailer admitting that Cheryl had canceled on her, she would look like a dumbass.

**Toni – In the meantime… if you still wanna get pizza, I can pick you up?**

**Cheryl – With what? Your vehicle of death??**

**Toni – Oh come on, it’s perfectly safe. I’ll even bring you a helmet.**

There was a pause, where Toni saw the typing bubble for a good few seconds. About thirty seconds later, though, the message came through, just one word long.

**Cheryl – Fine.**

**Toni – Okay, what’s your address? I’ll leave right now.**

As Toni waited for Cheryl to send her address, she hopped back off her bike and went back into the trailer, her friends giving her looks of confusion. “Plans canceled?” Sweet Pea asked, clearly not surprised if that was the case. Jughead was staying quiet, thankfully.

“Actually,” Toni said, a little bitterness in her tone, “I was wondering you still have that old bike helmet you used to use before you got your motorcycle one.”

Sweet Pea lifted an eyebrow, and Toni gave him a look that told him to not ask questions. He paused the game and jumped up to go over to his bedroom. After digging around for a couple of minutes, he found the helmet and brought it to Toni, who took it gratefully.

“Thanks, dude.”

“Have a good night.”

“You guys, too.”

Toni dusted off the old helmet before stuffing it into the bag that was attached to the bag of her motorcycle. She then checked Cheryl’s address and how to get there, and it was off to the Blossom mansion for Toni.

When she pulled into the massive driveway—which was basically a mini-road leading to the huge entrance of the house—she was glad to say that, although there was a gate, it was opened wide, and seemed untouched. She wondered when it was ever closed.

As she drove up to the house, or mansion, rather, she saw Cheryl leaning against her dead car, wearing a leather jacket over a tight, red crop top, and tight jeans. Toni felt her frustrations from her conversation with Jughead disappear, and her body wake up, as she checked Cheryl out for just a second before taking off her helmet and planting her feet firmly on either side of her bike. “Hey.” She couldn’t stop herself for taking one more look at Cheryl’s outfit. “New jacket?”

“No, I just don’t wear it much,” Cheryl admitted.

Toni couldn’t hold back as she asked, “Heather doesn’t like it?”

Cheryl didn’t look very happy as she answered, “No.”

“Well, I like it,” Toni assured the redhead, smiling a little. Yeah, she liked it a _lot_. “Good choice for your first motorcycle ride.” She twisted around to get the extra helmet out of her bike bag. “Sorry, this is all I’ve got extra. But you can use mine if you want.”

“No, that’s okay,” Cheryl answered, sounding nervous as she slowly approached Toni. “So, what… I just… get on behind you?”

“Yes,” Toni answered, “and get comfortable. And don’t be afraid to hold on. Like, seriously. If you don’t hold on, I can’t guarantee you won’t fly off.”

Cheryl did not look happy to hear that. “Toni!”

Toni felt her heart skip a beat, despite the frown Cheryl was giving her. “Oh, come on, Red, you’ll be fine,” Toni promised her, passing the helmet to the Northsider. Cheryl took it from her and strapped it on, and then, with a deep breath, hiked one leg up and over the back of the seat. Toni held her breath as she felt Cheryl’s front against her back, settling it, and then Cheryl’s arms wrapped around Toni’s middle. Toni let out a breath slowly, hoping Cheryl couldn’t hear how shaky it came out. “Okay, you good?”

“I guess so… is there any way you can go slow?”

“Trust me,” Toni swore, “it’s must less pleasant if I go slow. I promise, you’ll be fine. Do you trust me?”

Toni almost didn’t want to hear the answer, but then Cheryl softly answered, “Yes,” and she felt her heart soar.

“Then don’t worry,” Toni insisted, finally pulling her helmet back on. “Don’t forget to hold on!” She turned on her bike and revved the engine, and then started off of the Blossom property.

Toni felt Cheryl squeezing her tightly as they pulled out onto the main road and Toni sped up a little to match the speed limit. She would normally be tempted to speed, but she knew that Cheryl was nervous, so she kept with the normal limit, despite the lack of traffic.

Toni always got a rush when riding her motorcycle, even after having been driving it regularly for over a year. But with Cheryl on the back of it, holding her tightly with her whole front pressed to Toni’s back, it gave the Serpent a different kind of rush, and Toni liked it.

When they reached the Southside, Toni turned onto the road that would take them to the pizza place, and she heard Cheryl laugh a little—a sound that made Toni’s heart do another jump, something she was starting to have to get used to.

They finally reached the pizza place, and Toni pulled the bike to a stop, planting her feet on either side as she turned the bike off. When she pulled off her helmet, she twisted a little to look back at Cheryl, who had unfortunately released her hold on the pink haired girl. “How was that?”

“It was alright.”

Toni could read right through her attempt to be stoic, though, for maybe the first time ever. “Oh, come on. I heard you laugh near the end there. Admit it, you liked it.”

Cheryl breathed out, and then a small smile appeared on her face. “Okay, I liked it. It was honestly… unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Similar to being in my convertible, but… even more freeing.”

“So, you acknowledge now that it’s not a vehicle of death?”

Cheryl nodded, but then clarified, “I still think it’s dangerous… but maybe it’s worth the danger. Sometimes.”

“Well, don’t worry. I never drive it drunk,” Toni teased, and she found herself winking at Cheryl. As soon as she realized she’d done it, she quickly got off the bike, trying to calm herself. Being around Cheryl was intoxicating, Toni felt like she could barely control herself. And after that ride, this sure felt like a date. Toni was inclined to just accept that it was, and hope that Cheryl felt the same way.

The entered the pizza place, and Toni wasn’t surprised to see that it was pretty busy, considering that it was spring break. Toni glanced around and saw Joaquin, waving at him, and he came over to them immediately. “Hey, Toni!” He looked at the Northsider. “Cheryl, right?”

“Right,” Cheryl said after a beat, “nice to see you.”

“Yeah, you too! Come on, there’s a table in my section you guys can have.” They sat down, and Joaquin grabbed them a couple of menus. “What’ll it be for drinks?”

“I’ll take root beer,” Toni answered, which her friend nodded in response to.

“Um, do you have cherry coke?” Cheryl asked Joaquin.

“We do!”

“Great. I’ll take a cherry coke, then.”

“Sounds good. Let me go grab those.”

As he walked away, Toni lifted an eyebrow at Cheryl. “Cherry cola, huh? I’m sensing a theme in your whole, uh, _existence_.”

Cheryl just shrugged. “What can I say? Red’s my thing, and cherry is a good flavor.”

“Yeah, Jughead told me that you’ve all but banned anyone else from wearing red at Riverdale High,” Toni joked, before realizing that she probably shouldn’t have mentioned that. It just happened to be on her mind still, she realized, even after her distracting motorcycle ride with the redhead.

“You and Jughead talked about me?” Cheryl asked, sounding very apprehensive about the topic.

“Well, not really,” Toni answered quickly. “He just asked me yesterday how I knew you, and I mentioned that you and Heather came to the other bonfire party.” She didn’t feel bad lying about when the conversation had happened, because she didn’t want to admit to Cheryl that both Sweet Pea and Jughead knew that she was out getting food with Cheryl, and that Cheryl had agreed to ride on her motorcycle. She didn’t want to risk upsetting Cheryl anymore than she might have already.

“But then you kept talking about me?”

Toni shrugged. “He was just really confused,” she answered, “apparently, you are a very unlikely person to ever hang out at the Southside. Which I can’t say I was surprised to hear. Considering all the things you’ve said about Southsiders and the Southside in general.”

“Yeah well,” Cheryl said quietly, surprising Toni by her tone of voice, “I don’t necessarily stand by all those things I said before.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow, wanting to ask Cheryl to elaborate, but then Joaquin was coming up to them with their two sodas. “Here you guys go. Any idea what you want?”

“What kind of pizza do you like?” Toni asked Cheryl.

“Anything.”

“Pepperoni?”

“Sure.”

“We’ll just take a large pepperoni,” Toni said to Joaquin.

“Alright, one large pepperoni, coming up!”

“Thanks, man.” Toni gave her fellow Serpent a smile, and then let out a breath, looking back at Cheryl and deciding not to ask Cheryl to explain what she meant about her not standing by the things she’d said before. Instead, she said, “Anyway. I wasn’t telling him anything you wouldn’t want me to tell him. He was just… I guess trying to explain why he was so shocked to see you at the bonfire the other day.” That was sort of true, Toni supposed.

“I bet you heard some _great_ things about me,” Cheryl muttered sarcastically with an eyeroll.

Toni was surprised to hear Cheryl say it like that, clearly caring what Toni heard about her. Toni wanted her to know that that didn’t matter, and she hoped it didn’t come off weird when she answered, “Don’t worry about anything I heard about you. Doesn’t matter.” She saw Cheryl’s eyebrow lift slightly, but Cheryl apparently decided to change the topic.

“So, you had a talk with your uncle.”

“Yeah,” Toni answered. “He was waiting for me outside of Sweet Pea’s trailer this morning. We had a fight, and Vic—Sweets’ dad—stepped in, and we lowkey had a heart-to-heart. It feels over, though, the issues with me and my uncle. So, I’m pretty happy about it.”

“That’s good. But that must’ve been hard,” Cheryl said, prompting Toni to open up more.

Toni sighed. “Yeah. I mean, he was absolutely wasted despite it being barely even noon. He yelled about how I stole from him, and how he could go to the cops, or to FP. We established that he does not think of me as family—not that I’ve thought of him as family in years either. He called me ungrateful—that’s one of his favorite words to use about me, along with _bitch_.” Cheryl was frowning deeply, and Toni found herself looking away from the redhead.

“I’m so sorry, Toni,” Cheryl said softly. “That sounds awful to have to deal with. At least when I have to deal with my horrible parents, I have my own space to get away to. You had to live in that trailer with him for years.”

Toni sighed. “Yeah, well. That’s over, now, and I’ll be eighteen in a few months. So, it’s all water under the bridge, or whatever.” She finally looked back at Cheryl, feeling a lump in her throat when she saw how Cheryl was looking at her—with such soft eyes. “Um, anyway. What were you up to today?”

“I went shopping,” Cheryl answered. “And met up with Veronica—we had lunch. This crop top was one of my purchases.”

Toni used the statement as an excuse to glance down at Cheryl’s top—and her boobs, which she quickly looked away from again. “It looks really good on you.” She was pretty sure that she saw a blush appear on Cheryl’s cheeks.

Their pizza came out soon after, and there was a lull in their conversation as they ate. As they finished up, Joaquin came by to drop off the check, which Toni grabbed immediately. “I can get it, Toni,” Cheryl said with a frown.

“No, it’s okay,” Toni insisted, feeling her heart race as she realized that maybe Cheryl wasn’t thinking of this as date. Toni still didn’t know what to think. “It’s less than ten bucks, it’s fine.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Toni put some cash, including a tip for her friend, in the check holder and then she and Cheryl got up. They passed Joaquin as they headed out, and he said, “Great seeing you guys!”

“Bye, dude,” Toni answered, and Cheryl gave him a smile.

They left the pizza place, and Toni immediately began searching her brain for excuses she could use to spend more time with Cheryl tonight. “You don’t need to go home yet, do you?”

Cheryl looked at her with those strangely soft, brown eyes. “Nope.”

“I kind of feel like having a smoke,” Toni admitted, and that was true. With how much her heart and brain were freaking out this evening, weed sounded helpful right now.

“Okay… where should we go?”

“We could go to the White Wyrm, but it’ll probably be full since it’s Spring Break. Hm. We could go to the alley behind it?”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get going then, Red,” Toni said, going up to her motorcycle. Cheryl strapped on her helmet as Toni pulled her own on, and then Toni reveled in having Cheryl’s arms wrapped around her again for a short ride to the White Wyrm.

A few minutes later found them back in the little space, where Toni had had lunch earlier that day, seated on the crates. The Serpent immediately grabbed out her joint and lighter and took a hit. She could see Cheryl openly staring at her as she did so, and when she blew out the smoke, she met the girl’s gaze.

“You want a hit?” She extended the joint to Cheryl, who took it wordlessly. Toni watched Cheryl take her hit and squeezed her thighs together as she watched those beautiful lips suck on Toni’s joint. When she handed it back to the pink haired girl, Toni let out a soft exhale.

“Smoking weed doesn’t keep you from being able to drive your motorcycle?”

“Maybe some people, but not me. At least, I’ve never smoked enough that it’s been a problem.”

“That’s good.”

Toni chuckled a little. “Don’t worry, I won’t drive you home if I think there’s any chance I won’t be able to pay attention to the road.”

They settled into a strangely calming silence, and Toni ended up passing Cheryl her joint one more time. Toni’s thoughts were wandering, thinking about the rest of spring break, and then how she had to go back to school next week. That reminded her of the project she was going to have to start after the break for her art class—a photography project. She needed a subject for a portrait style photo, which she would need to compose, shoot, and edit. She looked at Cheryl, how beautiful she was, and immediately knew that she wanted Cheryl to be her subject.

Toni lowered her joint, and bit the inside of her lip for a second before asking, “Do you think… or… would you mind if I took some photos of you?” Cheryl lifted an eyebrow. “For an assignment… for class.”

Cheryl looked less confused now, but still a little curious as she answered, “Um, I guess I wouldn’t mind.”

“It would be just like a short and simple photoshoot. We could do it wherever. It’s for my art class, we’re finally doing photography and our first assignment is portraits. And… I think any of the guys would think it was dumb if I asked them, so.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind.”

Toni couldn’t fight her smile. “Cool.” She let her gaze fall away from Cheryl as she took one more hit from her joint, hoping it would calm her fast beating heart. Her body’s reactions to Cheryl this week were starting to become all consuming. As she exhaled the smoke, she put out the lit joint and then pocketed it again. She looked up, and immediately caught Cheryl with her eyes glued to her. “What?”

Cheryl’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out for a minute. “I just zoned out. Sorry.” Toni knew it was a lie. She bit down on the inside of her lower lip, staring back at the beautiful girl for a moment and remembering something that Jughead had mentioned earlier.

“You know one interesting thing that Jughead did mention to me,” Toni said, before quickly adding, “yesterday.”

“What?” Cheryl asked, sounding a little frustrated at the topic being brought up.

Toni tried not to feel bad as she answered, “He said that you’ve coined the nickname Cheryl ‘ _Bombshell_.’” She lifted an eyebrow, feeling a little amused as she noticed Cheryl’s face turn a little pink.

“Yes, I have. What’s wrong with that?”

“I just thought it was funny.”

“It’s not like it’s inaccurate,” Cheryl defended, crossing her arms over her chest. Toni felt warmth between her thighs, brought there by how hot Cheryl being cocky was. Toni felt her gaze drop down to Cheryl’s exposed midsection, and the leather jacket that hugged the sides of her body.

“No, it’s not,” Toni agreed, hoping that she didn’t sound like too much of a horny mess.

Cheryl blushed more deeply now, and Toni bit down on the inside of her lip as the redhead pulled her gaze away. “So, uh… are you and Jughead pretty good friends?”

Toni tried not to sigh at the change of topic. “Kind of. We almost hooked up once, when we first officially met a while ago—before he started dating Betty—and since then we’ve been somewhere between acquaintances and friends.”

Cheryl looked revolted, and Toni lifted an eyebrow. “ _You_ almost hooked up with _Jughead_?”

“Yes?”

“Ugh,” Cheryl muttered, her eyes squeezing shut, “let me just get that image out of my mind.” Toni couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s so terrible about that?”

“I haven’t really _thought_ about it, but I figured the only person who had Jughead on their list of people they’re attracted to was Betty.”

Toni smirked, and then teased, “I bet you feel that way about most guys. You know, being a lesbian and all.”

Cheryl let out a breath. “Yeah, you make a good point.”

“I know.”

Another silence settled over the two of them, and Toni wasn’t sure she had ever felt so comfortable with Cheryl until now. And she got the feeling that Cheryl felt pretty comfortable with her, too.

Cheryl expressed that she was feeling sleepy not too long later, and Toni offered to drive her home. She savored the trip, with Cheryl’s arms wrapped tightly around her, and then dropped Cheryl off. “Thanks for keeping me company tonight, Red,” she said quietly, still wondering if Cheryl had thought of this as a date, the way Toni had been thinking of it all evening.

“Anytime, Toni,” Cheryl said softly.

When Toni got back to the trailer, she found that not only were Jughead and Sweet Pea still playing Call of Duty, but Fangs had joined them, and Noah was now watching them play. “Hey guys,” she greeted, tossing her bike keys on her pile of stuff next to the couch.

“Hey, Tiny!” Fangs greeted.

“How was dinner with Red?” Sweet Pea asked.

Toni shrugged. “Fine. How’s your dumb game?”

“Fine,” Sweet Pea answered teasingly.

Toni rolled her eyes. “Someone hand me a controller. If I can beat you losers at this stupid game, you all go to Fangs’ place so I can get some sleep, deal?”

They easily agreed to her deal, and Toni found herself having fun playing her least favorite game, largely in part to how high she was, but she knew that another part of it was because of how relaxed she felt after her amazing evening with Cheryl _Bombshell_ Blossom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked seeing this outing from Toni's perspective <3 It was a lot of fun to write.  
> Lots more fun to come as well <3
> 
> Thank you all for being here. Any and all feedback here or on Twitter is always appreciated. I'm about to pass out for the next 12 hours (I will lmfao) soooo goodnight <3 If you're also dealing with this snowstorm, stay warm, stay safe <3


	10. yes, you said something wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni battles herself over her feelings for Cheryl, and it leads to some miscommunication.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends!  
> Update: my girlfriend and I are now back at our apartment! We have power and water! Tomorrow it'll finally get above freezing and we're going to get more groceries finally. So we are safe and doing well. Thanks for the positive thoughts everyone <3
> 
> Quick note about this chapter! This is the first chapter that spans multiple chapters of What A Time. To clarify, this story has 22 chapters compared to What A Time's 30 chapters, but is only about 10,000 words shorter, so there's going to be a lot of long chapters that handle the flow better since chapter cuts don't always work from Toni's point of view. So chapters won't be 1:1 now.
> 
> This chapter spans 10, 11, and 12 of What A Time :)
> 
> Enjoy lovelies!

After Wednesday night, Toni felt like she and Cheryl were on the best terms they had been on, and all Toni wanted to do was see the redhead again. Unfortunately, though, Toni had to work every night for the rest of spring break, and she’d informed Cheryl of this Thursday morning, when she had been unable to keep herself from texting her.

**Toni – Morning, Red. Last night was fun.**

**Cheryl – It was, I had a good time. The weed was calming, too. I hope you’re not getting me addicted to drugs.**

**Toni – I doubt it, you won't have the chance to get addicted, because unfortunately I have to work every night the rest of break :/**

**Cheryl – I’m sorry, that sucks.**

**Toni – Yeah, but the money is good. Looks like you’ll have to wait until at least next week to get your weed fix from me, Red!**

**Cheryl – However will I survive??**

**Toni – I don’t know, but you’ll have to find a way…**

She didn’t get a reply for about a half an hour, during which time Toni made herself breakfast, and then she finally got another text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – I guess I’ll have to replace smoking with you with getting lunch with Heather. She finally texted me back just now, and we are going to meet for lunch today.**

Toni couldn’t help but sigh when she read the message—of course, she hadn’t expected Heather to just disappear, but also hadn’t expected to have such a good night with Cheryl the previous day. Now, she was getting deep in her feelings, and she really needed Cheryl to stop being hung up on Heather.

**Toni – I’m glad you’ll be able to survive without me and my weed.**

She pocketed her phone at that point, resolving herself to not texting Cheryl for a little while, but was disappointed when she didn’t even feel her phone buzz with a response at all that morning. And when Sweet Pea appeared from his room, saying that Cheryl had texted him about fixing her car, Toni declined to join him, because she didn’t want to end up saying anything about Heather—she was too in her head already.

She texted Cheryl only briefly that night, after giving in despite having next gotten a response from the redhead.

**Toni – How was lunch with H?**

**Cheryl – It was pretty good. She seems sorry.**

**Toni – Did she say sorry?**

**Cheryl – Not in the exact words.**

**Toni – Oh. Well, that’s lame.**

**Cheryl – Yeah, well, I forgave her. She said that she never meant to make me feel bad, and that she wants us to just forget the past couple of weeks.**

**Toni – Is that something you want to forget?**

**Cheryl – I mean, the bad parts, sure.**

**Toni – Okay.**

Toni knew that Cheryl wasn’t talking about their nights hanging out in the past few weeks, and she hated that she was taking this personally.

**Toni – Well, I’m going to wind down for the night. Work was long.**

**Cheryl – Okay. Goodnight, Toni.**

**Toni – Night.**

On Friday, no texts were exchanged all day, and it wasn’t until Toni was home from work late Friday night that she realized she had gotten a few texts from the Northsider during her shift.

**Cheryl – Whoops, I’m drunk at a party and we’re playing Never have I Ever and I took a drink when someone said never have I ever been on a motorcycle and now Heather won’t stop giving me these like suspicious looks**

**Cheryl – Sorry, sorry I know you’re working**

**Cheryl – Like I said I’m drunk**

**Cheryl – It’s fine I’m just gonna pretend nothing happened**

**Cheryl – Hopefully she stops giving me those looks**

Toni frowned deeply at the idea of Cheryl being wasted at a party with Heather, who was clearly being as big of a bitch as usual.

**Toni – Whoa, sorry that happened, Red. Are you good? You didn’t drive did you?**

Toni got ready for bed, and still didn’t have a response from Cheryl.

**Toni – Cheryl? Did you make it home?**

**Toni – Please text me when you get home.**

She was feeling pretty anxious about Cheryl’s situation, wondering what could be occupying Cheryl. Her phone could have died, or she could just be partying too hard to check it. Partying with Heather. Dancing.

Toni shook her head, blocking out the thoughts she was having. She was tired from work, and disappointed at how the past few days had gone ever since the morning after their probably-not-a-date date, and she shouldn’t let her thoughts go there. But she couldn’t help but think about _what if_. What if Cheryl had been right all along, and Heather actually did have feelings for her? What if her weird shit all stemmed from some internalized homophobia, and she was actually into Cheryl? What if—no, she needed to stop this.

She plugged her phone into its charger and curled up in her makeshift bed on the trailer’s couch. Cheryl would text her in the morning, and she would find out that nothing had happened. Everything would be fine.

The next morning, though, Toni still didn’t have a text from Cheryl.

**Toni – If you haven’t texted me by an hour before I have to go to work, I’m going to your house and knocking on your goddamn door, so if you don’t want your Northside parents meeting me, you better answer.**

It was only about half an hour later that Toni got a response from Cheryl, thankfully.

**Cheryl – I’m fine, sorry. My phone died at the party last night and in my drunkenness, I guess I forgot to plug it in. Don’t worry, I’m home and I’m fine.**

**Toni – Good. How you feeling?**

**Cheryl – Terrible. I need water and food, so I’m going to go do that. I’ll text you later when I feel better.**

**Toni – Okay. I hope you feel better soon.**

Toni wanted to ask how things had gone with Heather—whether Cheryl had partied so hard because she was upset with Heather, or whether the two of them had partied hard together. She hated that her mind was still in this place, and she knew that it stemmed from stupid jealously that she had no right to feel. Her feelings for Cheryl were getting in the way of her simply supporting Cheryl, but she was starting to think that she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t keep trying to support Cheryl with her feelings as strong as they were. But she didn’t want to lose the Northsider.

So she just hoped that Cheryl would text her again soon, saying anything that would prove that she was not back to obsessing over Heather.

It wasn’t even an hour later that Cheryl texted Toni again. Toni had finished her breakfast and finished getting ready for the day already. She was currently sitting on the couch, watching TV with Sweet Pea, who had gotten out of bed a little while ago. When she looked down at the message, however, her heart clenched, and then dropped into her stomach.

**Cheryl – Hey… I just had the craziest shit happen, and I told Heather that I liked her.**

Toni didn’t know what to say, but she could only assume what the crazy shit had been, and Cheryl’s text sounded too levelheaded for Toni to assume that it wasn’t “good news,” good in Cheryl’s terms at least.

**Toni – Oh. Nice.**

She sent the message as though she were also feeling levelheaded, when in reality, her heart was pounding, and her eyes burned slightly. She felt jealousy and anger welling up inside of her, but she did her best to suppress it. She was right—her feelings had grown too strong, and since it was clear that Cheryl didn’t feel them back—that she hadn’t actually thought of Wednesday night as a date—Toni knew that she needed to have some space from the girl.

**Cheryl – You’re not going to ask me how it went?**

**Toni – Sorry, Red, FP is calling me for some Serpent stuff so I don’t have time to talk.**

**Cheryl – Really? Can you talk for just a minute?**

**Cheryl – Toni?**

**Cheryl – Come on, I need to talk to you.**

Toni watched the messages come onto her screen, just staring at them as she hid behind her lie to the redhead. Part of her, maybe the masochist of her, wanted to hear Cheryl out, but most of her knew the truth—she needed to distance herself from the gorgeous Northsider who had started to capture both her attention and her feelings. Toni had known all along that she would end up here, and she had been too stupid to acknowledge it, to back away from Cheryl as everyone had told her to.

“You okay, dude?” Sweet Pea asked.

“Yeah. Just don’t feel good. I’m going to shower,” Toni muttered, locking her phone and tossing it on the couch.

“Didn’t you shower last night when you came home? Also, you already did your makeup and hair and you’re all dressed?”

Toni just shook her head and slipped into the bathroom, trying to slow her breathing. She took in a deep breath through her nose, and counted to seven, before slowly exhaling it for eight counts. Four seconds in, seven seconds holding it, and eight seconds out. Felicity had taught her that years ago, when she was first coping with living with her horrible uncle.

When her breathing was normal, she forced herself to take a second shower—at least this way, she couldn’t check her phone and see messages from the redhead.

While she was at work the rest of the day, Toni saw multiple messages come across her phone screen from the redhead, but Toni didn’t even bother reading them, eventually putting her text app on mute so she wouldn’t get the notifications at all. She just needed to keep her head clear and reading texts from Cheryl was not going to help her with that.

When Toni got off work that night, she immediately changed into comfier clothes and collapsed onto the couch. It seemed like everyone was asleep—save for Vic, who was out of town with some of the older Serpents—but just as she was getting comfy and ready to sleep, Sweet Pea slipped out of his room quietly and came over to where Toni was laying. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey.”

“Sucks you had to work so late. Noah was hounding me all evening for advice about girls.”

Toni snickered. “Does he have a crush or something?”

“No, apparently he’s into older women,” Sweet Pea said with a laugh. “He thinks one of his teacher’s is hot. He kept asking me about age gaps.”

“He’s such a funny kid.”

“Mmhmm.” Sweet Pea chuckled, and then he let out a breath. “Are you okay?” he asked her, and Toni was surprised at the inquiry.

“Um, yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, shifting his weight a little.

“Dude, what’s up with you?” Toni demanded.

“You just were pretty off this morning… and I don’t know.”

“I’m fine, Sweets. Just… work has been not great the past few days. I’m tired.”

“Right,” he said with a nod. “Okay, well… if you ever want to talk, you know, I’m here.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “I know, dude. Now go to sleep, you’re freaking me out.”

He gave her a half smile and bid her goodnight before turning around and padding back to his and Noah’s room. Toni thought the whole conversation had been really weird, but she tried to ignore it as she curled up in her blankets—the ones that Cheryl had never taken back. The ones that Cheryl had brought her in the Wyrm that night.

Toni squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a few tears escape against her will, for the first time all day. She couldn’t believe she’d let herself get to this point. She had been so stupid to trust that she wouldn’t get hurt in her efforts to help Cheryl get through her feelings with Heather.

But as much as she wanted to regret all of it, she couldn’t stop thinking about Cheryl, and how much she didn’t regret any of the past few weeks. Even if, from this point on, she needed to start distancing herself from the girl. Maybe she needed to completely ghost her altogether.

She would decide in the morning.

* * *

“Morning,” Toni said to Sweet Pea the next morning, as she left the bathroom in her sweatpants and t-shirt, having just finished doing her makeup. She was planning to stay in her pajamas until she had to leave for work later, to allow herself to wallow a little more after her shitty past few days. She still hadn’t checked her text messages from Cheryl, and she wasn’t sure when she would. Her heart was still hurting, and she had a feeling that the only way it would stop was if she stopped seeing the redhead. As much as it would hurt.

“Good morning,” Sweet Pea responded. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine.”

“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Sweet Pea said, “how’s Cheryl doing?”

Toni gave her best friend a weird look. “Why?”

“I fixed her car on Thursday,” he answered, “and hadn’t heard you really talk about her since then.”

Toni shrugged. “We haven’t really been talking. She’s been busy with other people.” Sweet Pea furrowed his eyebrows.

“Alright.”

“Sweets! Toni!” Noah exclaimed, coming out of his and Sweet Pea’s bedroom in boxers and a tank top. “Dad’s gone today, so can we make a fancy breakfast?”

“Sure thing, dude,” Sweet Pea agreed, “let’s just get washed up first, and change out of your underwear, dude.” Toni chuckled as Noah groaned and went back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Sweet Pea slipped into the bathroom, and then there was a knock all of the sudden on the trailer door.

Being the only one available, Toni went over to the door and swung it open, her eyes landing on none other than Cheryl Blossom.

“Cheryl,” she said quickly, very surprised, “uh… what are you doing here?” She didn’t think it would be this difficult to avoid Cheryl, because she definitely hadn’t expected her to turn up like this.

“I texted you, to let you know I was coming.” She didn’t sound happy, and her expression stayed fairly dull. “But you haven’t been reading my texts, have you?”

Toni let out a sigh, and couldn’t think of an excuse, so she just said, “I was busy.”

“No, you weren’t,” Cheryl argued, her eyebrows knitting as her face broke out of its stoic state. “Sweet Pea told me that FP and a lot of the other Serpents were out of town yesterday, and that you were _here_ pretty much all day until you went to work.”

Toni furrowed her brow as she shifted her weight to her right side. “You were talking to Sweet Pea about me?” That definitely explained why Sweet Pea had been so weird the night before, and why he had asked about Cheryl this morning. What had she and Sweet Pea talked about?

“I’m sorry, okay,” Cheryl apologized, and she sounded genuine. “I don’t want this conversation to start out on the wrong foot. I need to talk to you.”

“About Heather.”

“Sort of,” Cheryl answered quietly, “more like, how I accidentally came out to my best friend in the middle of a fight, and it went terribly, and the one person I could talk to about it decided to ghost me for twenty-four hours.”

Toni’s eyes were wide, her heart clenching as she realized her mistake. Cheryl _hadn’t_ hooked up with Heather, hadn’t even had a positive experience admitting that she liked her. She had had a fight with her and had _needed_ Toni. And Toni had let her down. She felt beyond guilty, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably inside of her. She opened her mouth to respond, but then she heard a door open, and suddenly Noah was standing next to Toni. “Who’s there?” he demanded.

Toni was surprised at the small smile that Cheryl gave to Noah. “I’m Cheryl. I’m friends with Toni, and your brother.” Toni felt slight relief as Cheryl referred to herself as Toni’s friend—maybe that meant that Toni hadn’t ruined everything by making a stupid assumption and then ignoring Cheryl for a whole day.

“How come I’ve never heard of you then?” Noah demanded. “I’ve never seen you around either.”

Toni sighed. “Noah, just—”

“What’s going on?” Sweet Pea asked, and Toni hadn’t even realized he’d left the bathroom. “Oh! Hey, Cheryl!” He glanced between the Northsider and Toni, who again wondered what exactly Sweet Pea and Cheryl had talked about. “You wanna come in? We’re having fancy breakfast today—eggs and toast.”

Cheryl smiled a little. “Uh, I would love to, but I don’t want to intrude.” Her eyes met Toni’s, and Toni realized she was looking for permission.

“No, you could come in,” Toni agreed, and she stepped backwards to let Cheryl inside. She needed to make amends with Cheryl—she felt awful about ghosting her now.

“My dad is out,” Sweet Pea said, “Serpent business and stuff. So, I figured I’d treat Noah and Toni to some of my amazing scrambled eggs. You want some?”

“I already had breakfast, so I will pass, but thank you.” Now that they were all inside the trailer, Toni took in a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. But Cheryl looked down at Noah, and asked, “How old are you, Noah?”

“Eleven. How old are _you_?”

“Seventeen,” Cheryl answered with a tilt of her head. Toni’s eyes were glued to the beautiful Northsider as she interacted with Noah, wondering how she had been planning on cutting her out of her life. Something about Cheryl just ignited Toni—brightening her mood, waking up certain parts of her body, and honestly just making her life a little better.

Noah looked over at Sweet Pea expectantly, and Toni was confused for a second until she remembered the conversation with Sweet Pea from the night before—about how Noah was asking about age gaps. Sweet Pea immediately shook his head. “Nope.”

“Seriously?” Noah asked with a groan. “But dad’s last girlfriend was like six years younger than him. I don’t get what’s so wrong with it?”

Cheryl looked a little confused and looked at Toni for explanation. Toni couldn’t help but smirk as she said, “I think he thinks you’re hot.”

Noah immediately glared at her. “Shut up, Toni!”

“Hey, that’s not any way to talk to your wing-woman, man!”

“As handsome as you are,” Cheryl started, drawing Noah’s gaze back to her, “I’m sorry Noah, but you aren’t really my type.”

“Well, what’s your type?” Noah demanded. Toni smirked, and she noticed that Sweet Pea had, too. Had Cheryl told him that she was a lesbian? Toni desperately wanted to know what was going on.

“It’s complicated,” Cheryl said to Noah.

Toni let out a breath and went to the couch, folding up the sheets and blankets she’d slept with the night before. “Feel free to sit down, Cheryl,” Sweet Pea said, “we’re just going to eat in the living room.”

Toni sat on the couch, and Cheryl joined her. Noah went into the bathroom, and Toni felt her gaze settle on the redhead, wondering what she had said to Sweet Pea. Cheryl turned her head and met Toni’s gaze. “What?”

“Did you tell him?” Toni asked quietly, nodding at her best friend.

Cheryl sighed, and then nodded. “Yes, look, we really need to talk after breakfast, okay?”

“Okay,” Toni agreed—at this point, she was the one who desperately wanted to talk to Cheryl, anyway. “And hey, Red… I’m sorry for ghosting you yesterday. I didn’t realize that something had gone badly with you talking to Heather. Your text made it sound like something good had happened.” She hoped Cheryl wasn’t wondering _why_ Toni would have ghosted her if something good had happened.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think _you_ owe me an apology.”

“I… guess you’re right,” Cheryl agreed with a sigh.

Suddenly, Noah was coming out of the bathroom and into the living room, sitting down on the coffee table and looking expectantly between Cheryl and Toni. Toni gave him a half smile. “Ready for the break to end tomorrow, Noah?”

“Ugh, no way. School sucks. I can’t wait until—” Toni stopped listening to Sweet Pea’s brother as she got lost in staring at Cheryl, who was listening to Noah in amusement. Toni had so much she wanted to say to Cheryl, but she knew that it wasn’t the right time. Cheryl had just gone through shit with Heather, and even if it was maybe a good thing for Toni, she couldn’t ignore the fact that it must be hard for Cheryl. Also, Toni didn’t want to admit her feelings to Cheryl right as Cheryl was being forced to get over Heather, because she definitely did not want to become a rebound.

Sweet Pea brought over two plates of eggs and toast when Noah was finishing up his rant, passing one to Noah and one to Toni, and then came back with his own plate, sitting on the other side of Cheryl to eat.

After breakfast, Toni got up to help Sweet Pea clean up, and heard Noah asking Cheryl a ton of questions.

“So, _Cheryl_ , what kind of stuff are you into?” he wondered.

Cheryl chuckled. “I’m a cheerleader.”

“Oh. Nice,” Noah said, and Toni was sure that his little prepubescent brain was happy to have that image in his head. “So, you’re not in a gang.”

“No, I am not.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Mm, no. I don’t really want one, either.”

Noah crossed his arms over his chest. “Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

“That’s weird. I thought all girls wanted boyfriends.”

Cheryl laughed a little. “Well, that’s definitely not the case. And you know, some boys don’t want girlfriends.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know about gay people,” Noah insisted. “Toni sometimes wants girlfriends; Fangs usually wants boyfriends. I’m not stupid.”

“I know you’re not stupid.”

“But you’re so pretty, you deserve a good boyfriend.”

Cheryl laughed, and Toni rolled her eyes as she finished helping Sweet Pea and then walked back into the living room. She looked at Cheryl and asked, “You wanna go talk?”

Cheryl nodded immediately, and stood up, getting a huff out of Noah. “How come you get to go hang out with her? Can I come?”

“Sorry, little man.” With that, Toni and Cheryl left the trailer, and Toni looked at the redhead. “Want to walk and talk? To the park?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They walked in silence until they were walking out of Sunnyside, at which point Toni finally decided to ask, “So, what happened?”

“I went to a party Friday night, with Veronica and Heather. We played Never Have I Ever, one of the prompts was ‘never have I ever ridden on a motorcycle,’ and I drank,” Cheryl answered. “Heather decided that was reason enough to become immediately upset with me. I don’t know if she was mad that I implied that I was close with someone on the Southside, or if she thought I had ridden with _Cody_ , or if she was just jealous, or what. I didn’t get a chance to ask her, she told us that she had a hook up, and she left.”

Toni couldn’t help but scoff. “Oh god, the more I hear about her, the more ridiculous she sounds.”

“I know.” Toni looked at Cheryl with some surprise—Cheryl didn’t sound nearly as upset about admitting that as Toni expected her to. “Anyway, so, yesterday I woke up totally hungover, threw up, and then after I recovered and went downstairs to get breakfast, _Heather_ was there, wearing _Jason’s_ pajamas.”

Toni’s eyes bugged out. “Oh _shit_! Seriously? Isn’t that like the one think you asked her not to do? Hookup with your brother?”

“Yes, literally the one thing I ever genuinely asked her to do for me. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that she was still mad about me lying to her a couple of times before. Anyway, I got crazy mad at her, and dragged her up to my room, and we were yelling at each other… she said a whole lot of horrible things to me.” Cheryl took in a shaky breath. “That I’m weak and that I’m desperate for her because I have no strength on my own… she told me that I had no good reason for ever asking her to not date Jason, and I told her that I actually did, and she asked what it was and—”

“And you told her that you like her.” Toni frowned.

Cheryl started to nod, but then her eyebrows knit slightly, and she corrected her, “I told her that I _liked_ her.” Toni didn’t understand what she meant by that. “I don’t like her anymore. How could I? You’ve been right all along, she’s always been lowkey manipulative, and lately, it’s gotten so much worse, because I’ve been having my own life separate from her. And after all those things she said to me, if I hadn’t already stopped liking her, I definitely have now.”

Toni took in a short breath. “Oh.”

“After I said it, I almost had a panic attack. She asked if I was gay—I couldn’t even answer her. She said it was no wonder, and that I could’ve told her. It wasn’t anything special. She said no matter when I told her, she would’ve told me that it was never going to happen between us. And I told her I wouldn’t even want it anymore, but she doesn’t believe me. She think I’ll always keep coming back to her, but…” Cheryl looked directly at the Serpent. “Toni, I can’t imagine things between me and her ever going back to the way they used to be. I don’t look at her the same way I used to.”

Toni nodded, amazed that she was somehow hearing exactly what she’d hoped she would hear—that Cheryl was basically done with Heather. “That’s understandable. When someone does a lot of horrible shit to you, it’s hard to see them the same way.”

Cheryl looked distant as she said, “I used to look at her and think about how pretty I thought she was, how flawless and caring. But it was all a fantasy. She’s always been this heartless bitch.”

Toni frowned—despite hearing what she wanted, she could tell that Cheryl was hurting, and she felt bad for feeling happy at this change. Trying to make herself feel better, she found herself vouching for Heather. “I don’t know about always. I’m sure when you guys were kids, she was genuinely interested in being you friend. And maybe she was, sort of, up until the end. But the problem was her expectations of _you_ as a friend, versus what she was willing to offer. Friendships should be equal, and it does not sound like your friendship with her was equal at all.”

“No,” Cheryl agreed. “I’ve always felt invisible when I’m around people and Heather she takes everyone’s attention away. I used to think I didn’t mind it, because my attention was on Heather too, but how could I not mind it? I’ve _never_ disliked attention.”

Toni laughed a little. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I bet you were a major attention seeker when you were a kid.”

The small smile that appeared on Cheryl’s face made Toni’s heart skip a beat. “You’d win that bet.” They were at the park now, and Toni started over to the swing set, Cheryl following her. They sat down on adjacent swings, Toni kicking at the mulch below her feet.

“Hey, again… I’m sorry that I didn’t text you back yesterday,” Toni apologized softly, “and that I ignored your messages. I thought the conversation was going to be way different, and I just… figured you’d be fine without talking to me.”

“I get it, it’s okay. You’re forgiven. I just… had a terrible day yesterday, and I was really upset. It’s honestly maybe better that we talked today instead of yesterday.”

Toni bit down on her lower lip, unable to hold back her curiosity when she then asked, “But you talked to Sweet Pea… right?”

Cheryl nodded slowly before answering, “I owed him Pop’s, and I needed dinner, so we went out. And… yeah, I asked him what you’d been doing that day. I didn’t believe what you said about the Serpents. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but… it was pretty obvious to me that you were lying, and I was hurt.”

Toni felt her chest ache. “I get it.”

“And I swore him to secrecy and told him that I’m gay, and about Heather,” Cheryl said, and her face relaxed a little. “Honestly, it felt kind of good to tell someone for real. The way I wanted to.”

Toni felt a pang in her chest. “Are you referring to yesterday with Heather… or are you lowkey roasting me for figuring out that you were gay without telling me?”

Cheryl rolled her eyes, bringing a smile to Toni’s face as she said, “I was referring to yesterday.”

“Okay, good.”

They swayed on the swings in silence for a few minutes, Toni letting herself process the past few days—wondering where exactly Cheryl and Heather stood now. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t know if she should.

But Cheryl was speaking again before Toni could decide. “So, when do you want to take those pictures? For your class.”

Toni had practically forgotten that Cheryl had agreed to that. “Probably we should do it sooner rather than later. Would you be free sometime this week to do it?”

“Yeah, I’m sure I won’t have anything to do after Vixens practice any day this week.” Toni understood that as that Cheryl would not be hanging out with Heather, but she couldn’t help her desire to ask, just to be sure.

“Okay… well, I’ll text you sometime this week and we can do it.” Cheryl nodded, and Toni bit down on the inside of her cheek for a few moments before finally asked what she wanted to. “So… any idea what’s gonna happen with you and Heather? Are you guys like… straight up not going to be friends?” Cheryl sighed, and Toni felt bad immediately. “Sorry to bring it back to that topic. We don’t have to keep talking about it, I’m just… I know that she’s your best friend. Crushes aside, it’s gonna suck not having her to hang out with.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m going to try and talk to her today, probably I’ll try and call her. I’m not really expecting it to change anything. I just want to know that she’s not planning on…” Cheryl trailed off, and she looked really anxious all of the sudden.

“Outing you.” Cheryl nodded.

“I don’t want to stay in the closet forever,” Cheryl insisted, as if trying to convince Toni, “but I don’t want to have to come out to everyone like _that_. She’s mad at me. If she decides to tell everyone that I’m gay, it won’t come out nicely.”

“If she does,” Toni offered, “I’m sure I can get some of the Serpents to… _scare_ her in revenge.” The offer was genuine, but Toni wasn’t being all serious. Cheryl looked at her eyes, and Toni nearly bit down on her bottom lip as she was sucked into the beautiful, dark gaze.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Cheryl laughed a little, looking down at her lap. “I should let you get back to your Sunday morning. I know that you have work later.”

“Yeah… okay.” They got up out of the swings and walked silently back to where Cheryl’s car was parked outside of Sunnyside. “I hope it goes well, talking to Heather. I’m really sorry you had such a terrible day yesterday.”

“Thanks.”

“And… feel free toe text me if you need anything,” Toni told her. “I might not be able to answer you while I’m at work, but I will as soon as I can.” She hoped that Cheryl could hear the sincerity in Toni’s voice, because she meant it. She would not be ghosting Cheryl anymore.

“Okay. Thank you, Toni.”

Toni watched Cheryl get into her car and drive away, and then she let out a sigh. She wasn’t exactly sure where she and Cheryl stood at this point, but at least now she had the opportunity to find out if Cheryl could possibly return Toni’s feelings, now that Heather was out of the picture. Cheryl had said that she didn’t like Heather anymore, that meant that she was most likely over her in that sense—not over losing her as a friend, but over her romantic feelings for her. And, for now, that was good enough for Toni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are y'all happy there was no cliffhanger on Toni's POV of this? Haha somehow I wrote 3 chapters of these same events in What A Time, but it's because it included the party, conversations with Heather, Cheryl's reaction to everything... it would've been harder to write that many words from Toni's POV haha!
> 
> I hope that you all enjoyed this <3 I'm loving posting this for you all, after having taken so long to write it, it's so rewarding for y'all to read it! And I honestly thought maybe only 2 or 3 people would really care about it, so I'm so happy to see so many of you enjoying <3 Thank you so so much for all of the support. As you all hopefully know by now, I appreciate you all so much!
> 
> I will see you all on Saturday with the next update <3


	11. i know you can be dramatic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl and Toni have a photoshoot for Toni's art project, and go for dinner afterwards, where they run into some of their friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening, happy Friday!  
> I know tomorrow was supposed to be update day. But I felt like ending this crazy ass week on a really good note. Plus, I wanted to get in fanfic mode because I'm gonna try and finish writing my newest fic tonight :0 we'll see if I can manage to crank out the remaining ~8,000 words in the next 6 hours with time for dinner in between lmao.
> 
> Enjoy lovelies, this one might bring u a lot of emotions <3

Toni and Cheryl texted a lot more than normal starting Monday, and Toni was reveling in it. Monday morning, Toni had taken the initiative to text first, knowing that she had to make up for ghosting Cheryl on Thursday.

**Toni – Morning, Cheryl. Hope you’re feeling okay enough for school after the past few days.**

Cheryl had called Heather the day before, and texted Toni to let her know that Heather had said she wouldn’t out Cheryl, but that the conversation hadn’t really gone particularly well. They hadn’t had time to text much on Sunday, since Toni had worked really late, so she wanted to check in that morning.

**Cheryl – Good morning, Toni. I’m feeling okay.**

**Toni – That’s good. Let me know if you need anything today, okay?**

**Cheryl – Okay. So, I was thinking. Is Wednesday afternoon good for your photoshoot? Vixens practice should be over by 5.**

**Toni – Yeah, that’s perfect.**

**Cheryl – Cool. We’ll need to decide what you want me to wear.**

After that, Cheryl and Toni had texted a lot throughout the day about outfits, and where they would do the photoshoot. They decided on the park near Sunnyside, since it was usually empty. At the end of the school day on Monday, Toni went to her art teacher and requested to checkout one of the school cameras on Wednesday.

Tuesday, the text conversation strayed a little away from the photoshoot, which Toni was happy about. Cheryl had texted her first thing in the morning, which had given Toni butterflies in her stomach.

**Cheryl – Good morning, Toni!**

**Toni – Morning! You seem chipper today.**

**Cheryl – I’m trying to summon positive vibes. Make today better than yesterday.**

**Toni – You haven’t talked much about what it’s been like at school, not talking to Heather.**

**Cheryl – It’s hard, but fine. Like I said, trying to make today better than yesterday. Based on what we talked about yesterday, I selected a few outfit options.**

**Cheryl – IMG_313**

**Cheryl – IMG_314**

**Cheryl – IMG_315**

**Cheryl – Which one do you like best?**

The three outfit options had been pictures of clothes laying out across red sheets on what Toni could only assume was Cheryl’s bed. The third picture was black shorts, a red sweater, heels, and a little brooch that definitely had a fake spider on it.

**Toni – Definitely 315.**

**Cheryl – Why definitely?**

**Toni – The brooch is weird but kinda creepy, so I like it. I think the sweater will look good tucked into the shorts. They’re high waisted, right?**

**Cheryl – Mmhmm. They should show off my legs really good.**

**Toni – I don’t doubt it.**

Toni had been a bit surprised at Cheryl’s comment about her legs, and she spent the rest of the day wondering if Cheryl was flirting with her every time it was in the range of possibility.

Cheryl had texted her while at lunch.

**Cheryl – How’s your class? Lunch is boring.**

**Toni – Class is also boring, sorry to report. Anything I can do to make your lunch less boring? I could prank call Jughead.**

**Cheryl – I would actually love to see that, but it’s not worth it. You’d get in trouble for being on your phone during class.**

**Toni – I’m on my phone in class right now.**

**Cheryl – That’s true…**

**Toni – Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Plus, you text me while you’re in class, too.**

**Cheryl – That’s because class is boring, and you are not.**

**Toni – Aww, you think I’m not boring. That’s so sweet!**

**Cheryl – I can sense your sarcasm from here, Toni.**

**Cheryl – Plus, we had already established that I enjoy your company, did we not? You shouldn’t be surprised that I think you’re not boring.**

**Toni – I guess you’re right.**

**Cheryl – Too bad you’re not here for me to talk to at lunch.**

**Toni – Too bad indeed.**

Cheryl had texted her again later when she was out of Vixens practice.

**Cheryl – How come I feel like I getting high all of the sudden? You really have gotten me addicted to weed, Toni Topaz.**

**Toni – I already told you, weirdo, you’re not gonna get addicted from a couple hits over a period of weeks.**

**Cheryl – Mm. Maybe I just want to get high with you.**

**Toni – Lol. I’ll get you high whenever you want, Cheryl.**

Toni had absolutely felt on cloud nine when reading that Cheryl wanted to get high with her, and Toni had no idea how to feel about how Cheryl had been talking to her today. It seemed obvious to her that it was flirtatious, but she couldn’t wrap her head around why Cheryl would suddenly be flirting with her so much, so she was inclined to believe that it was coincidental that it sounded so flirty.

That was until Wednesday finally came around, and Cheryl showed up in her cheer uniform—with her hair half up and half down, her backpack slung over her shoulder, along with a spare bag that Toni assumed had her outfit for the photoshoot in it.

“Hey,” Cheryl greeted, as Toni tried not to check out Cheryl’s body in that cheer outfit.

“Hey,” Toni answered, swallowing thickly as she let Toni into the trailer. “How was Vixens practice?”

“Fine,” Cheryl answered with a shrug, and Toni knew that Cheryl was still, very obviously, avoiding talking about anything that had to do with Heather. Toni wanted to know how Cheryl was doing, but she wasn’t about to make the girl talk about her ex-best friend. “Should I go change?”

“Yeah,” Toni said, nodding to the bathroom. As Cheryl walked past her and toward the bathroom, Toni couldn’t help it as her gaze slipped down to check out that ass in that short skirt. She bit down on her lower lip as she tore her gaze away. “Perv,” she muttered to herself once Cheryl was shut in the bathroom.

Toni got out the camera she’d brought home from school today, fiddling with the few settings that it had as she waited for Cheryl to come out of the bathroom. When she heard Cheryl asked, “How do I look?” in a slightly flirty tone, Toni looked up widening eyes as she took in the redhead’s outfit. The high waisted, black shorts were doing absolute wonders for Cheryl’s curves and thighs, and the red sweater was tightly fit to her body as well. Her spider brooch was intriguing, and her heels topped off the outfit perfectly. Her hair was also let down loose now, and her signature red lip was just as bold as usual.

“You look great,” Toni breathed out. She stared at Cheryl for a moment longer.

“Is the camera ready?”

Toni blinked, nodding. “Yeah, it should be fine. Really wish I had something better than this, but it’ll have to do.”

They left the trailer and started toward the park, and Toni tried hard to keep her eyes ahead of her instead of on the girl walking off to her left. “So… what are these pictures supposed to be like?”

“It’s supposed to be a portrait, so it doesn’t have to tick many boxes. Any picture of you would be fine.”

“But?” Cheryl wondered, to which Toni responded with a funny look.

“What makes you think there’s a ‘but?’”

“You love photography. There’s no way you’re going to be happy just snapping a picture of me. If you were, you wouldn’t have cared to help me decide what to wear. You must have the whole composition blocked out already.”

Okay, so maybe Toni had been thinking about it, but she hadn’t wanted to make it a whole thing. She blushed a little as she said, “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

When they got to the park, Toni brought Cheryl over to the bench they’d sat on together a few weeks ago, carefully adjusting the way Cheryl was sitting, grabbing and moving her hands and nudging her legs into the right position. She tried so hard not to get distracted by how intoxicating it was, being so close to Cheryl, but when she tousled Cheryl’s hair to make sure it was ready for the picture, she locked eyes for a split second with Cheryl, and wanted so badly to lean in and kiss her. She practically held her breath as she pulled away and took a few steps back.

“Should I smile?” Cheryl wondered.

“No,” Toni answered, crouching down on the ground as she pulled the camera up to her face. She looked through the lens and snapped a few test photos, and then looked over the camera at Cheryl. “Just, tilt your head back a little bit.” Cheryl did so, and Toni took some more pictures.

Toni spent around twenty minutes taking pictures of Cheryl all around the park, by some trees, on the swing set, and on the playground—which Cheryl had seemed very apprehensive about, considering how old said playground was. After the twenty minutes, Toni started looking through some pictures, and Cheryl came and stood close to her, looking as well.

“Wow,” Cheryl breathed out. “They look great, Toni.”

Toni let out a breath, frowning a little. “They look great, because you look great.”

“I’m not following.”

Toni looked up at Cheryl, who was still standing so close to her. She ignored the tension she felt at being so close to Cheryl and said, “Sorry, that came out wrong. That’s the _only_ reason they look great. This camera literally can hardly even do the bare minimum. I can’t do any better, all I can do to adjust the shot is change the zoom and the focus. I swear, this camera is literally twenty years old.”

Cheryl pursed her lips, and Toni could tell she was thinking about something, although Toni had no idea what she could possibly come up with to fix the issue. “I have an idea,” she said, hurrying over to the bench and grabbing her phone.

Toni followed her back to the bench more slowly as Cheryl typed at her phone screen for a couple of minutes.

Finally, Cheryl rolled her eyes at her screen, pocketed her phone, and gave Toni a proud look. “What just happened?” Toni wondered, pretty confused.

“I just got you access to a camera much better suited for your skill level,” Cheryl told her, the corner of her lips coming up in a smile as she leaned slightly forward. Toni blinked in surprise, at both the movement and the comment, but then Cheryl was turning around and saying, “Come on!”

“Wait, what?” Toni asked. “Where are we going?”

“We are going to Thornhill.” Cheryl glanced over her shoulder at Toni, who was suddenly feeling much less than excited at the prospect of going to Cheryl’s home.

“Uh, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Cheryl stopped walking and turned to look at Toni with a raised eyebrow. “Are you scared, Toni? I thought you were a Serpent.” The Northsider’s tone came off as both flirty and challenging, and Toni straightened up a little.

“I’m not scared. Just… aren’t _you_? Your parents like… _hate_ people from the Southside.”

Cheryl shrugged. “Don’t worry. I can handle my parents. Let’s go get that camera.”

“Whose camera is it?” Toni asked, finally starting to walk with Cheryl.

“It’s Jason’s. Don’t worry, he’s letting us borrow it. He hasn’t used it since we took a photography class freshman year as a blowoff class.”

“So, we’re going to go grab this camera and then come all the way back here? It’s really okay, I can use these pictures, Cheryl.”

Cheryl looked at Toni. “If you don’t want to come all the way back to take them, we can do it at Thornhill. I’m certain that you’ll be able to find somewhere good enough. It’s a very expansive estate.” Toni still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea, and Cheryl noticed, because she stopped suddenly and faced Toni directly. “Trust me, Toni.” Toni bit down on the inside of her lip. “It’ll be fine. We can’t avoid you coming to Thornhill forever anyway.”

Toni took in a breath, realizing that Cheryl’s comment made it clear that Cheryl intended for them to continue whatever it was that was going on between them. How could Toni refuse? “Fine, okay.”

Back at Sunnyside, they went back to the trailer to get Cheryl’s bags, and then Cheryl headed toward her car. “Do you mind if I drive? I don’t mind driving you back when we’re done.”

“Sure,” Toni agreed, feeling a bit caught off guard by this whole situation. Cheryl was being so… _forward_ , and Toni didn’t know what it meant, or how to feel about it. She knew she was overthinking, but apparently Cheryl Blossom just brought that out in her.

She kept overthinking during the whole drive to Thornhill in the convertible, and when they finally got to the mansion, and there appeared to be no cars parked in the huge driveway, Toni finally felt herself relax a little. “No one should be here,” Cheryl confirmed. “Come on.”

Inside Thornhill, Toni immediately felt so small—she was short and was used to being called tiny but being inside Thornhill actually made her feel so miniscule. Everything was grand and expansive, so unlike everything Toni was used to. Not to mention, the decorations looked like they came straight out of the past. “This is… ridiculously decorated. Seriously. It’s like your family literally came out of a story about creepy dukes and duchesses in the like, sixteenth century.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother and father did step out of a time machine from exactly then,” Cheryl answered, and Toni gave her an amused look. “The camera should be in Jason’s room.” She led Toni upstairs, and Toni followed her down a couple of different hallways, immediately feeling disoriented.

“How do you not get lost in here?”

“I used to when I was a kid. There are still rooms that I forget about, but when I was about eleven, I decided that I wanted to know everything that was in here. So, I went through every room and explored every nook and cranny.” Cheryl laughed a little. “It was a big mistake, I found _so many_ creepy heirlooms and photographs. It was horrifying.”

“Damn, and when you mentioned the spider brooch, I thought _that_ was weird,” Toni muttered, and Cheryl finally pushed open a door and they entered into a room that Toni knew must be Jason’s.

Cheryl made a beeline for a shelf across the room and grabbed a professional looking camera off of the shelf. She swiftly brought it over to Toni and asked, “Will this do?”

Toni powered on the camera, and noticed all of the modes it had, as well as the ability to fine tune so many details. “This is awesome.” Toni quickly reached into her pocket to grab her memory card—which she had made sure to bring—and inserted it into the device. “Okay, let’s go back outside. We’ve gotta be fast and get these pictures before the sun sets anymore.”

Toni basically got a grand tour of some of the huge property that Thornhill sat on, as they ventured to the maple syrup barn, where Toni had Cheryl sit on an empty barrel while she took pictures. She tried to keep the poses similar to what she had done at the park near Sunnyside. When she deemed them done at the barn, they went to the woods, and then back to the mansion, using the old brick and wood building as a background.

Finally, when the dark was setting in too much to take more pictures, Toni grinned as she looked through a couple of the last photos. “Come look,” she told Cheryl, who came away from where she’d been posing on the side of the house, standing close to Toni as she looked at the picture.

“Those are beautiful,” Cheryl said, and Toni resisted the urge to respond with a cheeky “you’re beautiful” and, instead, just smiled at Cheryl. “You really are very talented, Toni.”

“Thank you. Is there somewhere we can go while I look through all of them?”

“Yeah, we can go to my room,” Cheryl answered, and then her hand gently landed on Toni’s forearm before she started walking back around to the front entrance of the house. Toni followed her back inside and then back up the stairs, down a few different hallways, to Cheryl’s bedroom. It was huge, and ornately decorated with dark wood furniture and red wherever it could possibly be. “Your room is literally the size of my uncle’s trailer.”

Cheryl was quiet as she answered, “Yeah.”

“Also, I pictured your bedroom being red, but not _this_ red.” She teasingly smiled at the Northsider.

“You pictured my bedroom?” Cheryl asked, the corner of her mouth twitching ever so slightly.

“You know what I mean,” Toni said with an eyeroll.

“Feel free to sit on the little couch over there, or my bed,” Cheryl offered, but the redhead herself went over to her bed and sat down, so Toni followed suit and sat down next to the beautiful girl on the huge bed. She started to look through the photos of Cheryl.

“These are so good. Man, this camera is awesome. Tell your brother thank you for letting me use it.” Cheryl nodded. “And this outfit was a good choice, too. Seriously, look.” She stopped on her favorite picture and turned it so Cheryl could see—she was sitting on the barrel, her legs spread slightly, her chin was turned up, and one arm was touching the barn adjacent to her. “It’s very… ‘I’m not afraid to take up space,’ do you get that vibe too?”

“Yeah, I’d agree with that.”

“Maybe that’s what I’ll title it. Yeah, I think this is the one. ‘Not Afraid to Take Up Space.’ Is that too long, though?”

Cheryl hummed thoughtfully. “What about just ‘Take Up Space?’”

“I like that. Awesome.”

“So,” Cheryl said, “do you need to take the camera back with you?” Toni shook her head, turning the camera off and taking out her memory card.

“That’s what this is for. And that way, Jason won’t miss the camera at all.”

“Trust me, he wouldn’t have.” She laughed a little, and Toni just shrugged. A strangely tense silence fell over the two of them. Toni knew what she wanted to ask Cheryl—the thing she’d been curious about since Sunday. She wanted to know how Cheryl was doing without Heather, especially since Cheryl had clearly been avoiding the topic. She glanced up at the redhead, their eyes meeting.

“So, how has this week been so far?” Toni heard herself finally asked. “You’ve pretty much been avoiding talking about it over text. But I know it can’t be easy.”

Cheryl let out a sigh, and her gaze dropped to her lap. “You’re right, it hasn’t been easy. Heather hasn’t told anyone about me, at least not that I’m aware of. And she’s… sort of been MIA from her usual routine, which is good. She comes to Vixens practice, but she avoid eye contact with me, save for a few glares every now and then. Other than that, I haven’t seen her around much. She’s started having lunch with other people, leaving just me and Veronica and Veronica’s friends. Usually, Heather and I would sit at the same table as Veronica and her friends, but mostly stay separate. Now, I’m being forced to listen to Betty Cooper and Jughead flirt with each other.”

Toni laughed a little at that. “Well, I can vouch for Jughead at least. He’s a good dude.”

“Yeah.” Cheryl shrugged. “But anyway. It’s mostly been fine. Just…”

Toni tilted her head, but Cheryl wasn’t looking at her still. “What?”

“Kind of lonely,” Cheryl admitted, looking up at Toni with those beautiful brown eyes. “People will say I’m the most popular at Riverdale High, but the truth is, people don’t like me. I have one friend left at Riverdale High.”

Toni gave her a soft smile. “Well, you’ve got some friends down south now, okay?” Seeing Cheryl return her smile made Toni’s heart swell.

“Yeah, I know.”

Toni looked at Cheryl’s eyes, at how soft and warm they looked. So different from the first time Toni looked into them. As her heartbeat quickened, she remembered where they were—the Blossom residence. “I guess maybe I should head out now.” She stood up, feeling a little bit of anxiety return. “I don’t want you to have to deal with your parents getting home and explaining who I am and why I’m here.”

“Wait,” Cheryl said, interrupting Toni’s brief panic, “you wanna get food before you go home?”

Toni felt her heartrate slow—she didn’t really need to go back to the trailer park, did she? She just needed to get out of Thornhill, before any other Blossoms returned home, and booted Toni out of Cheryl’s life. “Yeah, I guess there’s no reason why not.”

“Pop’s?” Cheryl suggested, tilting her head and giving Toni a look that made the Serpent’s skin tingle.

“Sounds great.”

Cheryl drove them to Pop’s, and they ordered burgers, fries, and milkshakes in the booth in the back corner of the diner.

“So,” Cheryl said, when their food arrived and they had been eating for a few minutes, “you have a photography project, but it’s just for a regular art class?”

“Right,” Toni confirmed. “I really like art, I do, but… drawing, painting, that kind of thing. It’s not really what I want to do.”

“You want to be a photographer.”

“Yeah,” Toni answered, her heartwarming a little at the way Cheryl stated the fact. “Well, sort of. I kind of want to be a filmmaker. You know… work with cameras, maybe even direct.”

Cheryl looked enthralled. “What kind of films?”

“I don’t even know, really. I’ve always wanted to make a short film. I’d love to make a bunch of short films, you know they don’t have to be long, but if you can get everything right, they can pack a huge punch. Make people feel so many different emotions. You ever seen a short film that barely had any dialogue, but you knew exactly what was going on, and by the end, you were either so happy, or absolutely devastated? I want to learn how to make people feel things like that.”

Cheryl nodded, her eyes glued to Toni.

“I love films, they absolutely take me out of real life. In some of the worst times of my life, I’ve been able to sit down in front of a movie and just forget it all, feel something totally different. I want to do things like that for people, you know?” Cheryl nodded again. Toni started to talk about some of her favorite films as they finished eating, and when they were both almost done clearing their plates, she realized that Cheryl hadn’t spoken in a while. “Sorry… I didn’t realize I’d been rambling on for so long.”

“Don’t apologize,” Cheryl insisted quickly. “I like listening to you talk about photography and film and all of that.”

Toni felt a smile come to her lips, and she felt her heart swell. This had to be real—Cheryl flirting with her the past few days, and suddenly giving Toni her full attention for hours. This couldn’t be a coincidence. Cheryl had to feel what was there between them, right?

Suddenly, the door to Pop’s swung open, and Toni saw Cheryl look past her at the door. Curious, Toni glanced over her shoulder, and saw Betty and Jughead, along with two other people she didn’t exactly recognize, coming over to them.

“Hey, Cheryl!” the blacked haired girl greeted. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Jughead and Betty both looked at Toni, and the former said, “Hey, Toni.” Toni nodded at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh,” Toni said, realizing that the whole group was looking at her, “uh, Red helped me out with a project for school, so I owed her dinner.” Not exactly the truth, especially since Cheryl had asked Toni to come out to dinner, and Toni had not expected to pay, but she could feel that Cheryl had become more tense after seeing the group of Northsiders and Jughead come in, and Toni didn’t exactly know what to do or say to calm her down.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” the black haired girl spoke again, smiling and extending her hand to Toni. “Veronica Lodge.”

_Veronica_. Toni knew that Cheryl considered Veronica a friend. “Toni Topaz,” she said back, shaking Veronica’s hand firmly. “Um, you guys are welcome to join us.”

“We’d love to,” Betty said, smiling, “thanks!”

Toni and Cheryl each scooted over to the wall as the four joined the two of them at the booth. Veronica suddenly asked, “Do you go to Southside High, Toni?”

“Yeah.”

“She’s one of the few people there who are way too good for it, though,” Jughead said. “You should see this girl with a camera. And Southside High doesn’t even have a photography class.

“Oh, you like photography?” Veronica asked.

“Yeah, it’s kind of my thing,” Toni answered with a smile.

“Yeah, Jug’s mentioned that to me, but I’ve never gotten the chance to see any of your pictures,” Betty said. “Do you have some of the Serpents?”

“Not a ton, but a Serpent photo shoot should definitely happen,” Toni said teasingly.

Jughead snickered. “We should dress Tall Boy and Hog Eye up, that would be something worth catching on film.” Toni laughed, glancing at Cheryl and noticing that she looked a bit zoned out and uncomfortable. Toni felt her stomach sink, realizing that maybe she shouldn’t have invited the group to join them.

“So, how do you two know each other?” Veronica wondered, looking at Cheryl.

Toni let Cheryl answer, wondering what version of the truth she would give to her last friend at Riverdale High, as Cheryl had put it. “Heather dragged me to a Southside party once, and my car broke down when I was about to leave, and Toni and her friend fixed it for me.” Toni was impressed that the story was actually almost the whole truth—skipping their interaction at the White Wyrm a few nights prior to that.

Pop came over to take everyone’s order, and Cheryl ordered herself a second milkshake. Toni tried to meet her gaze, wondering what she could do to make this situation any better. “Yeah,” Jughead said, looking at Cheryl, “I heard you two have been hanging out a lot.”

Toni clenched her jaw, and then said, “I wouldn’t really say a lot, every now and then.” She glanced at Cheryl, who was still avoiding her gaze. “We’re… friends now.” Cheryl didn’t look any happier at that, and Toni really had no clue how to make this any better at this point.

“Well, hey!” Veronica said brightly. “Reggie Mantle is throwing a party on Friday, if you wanna come with?”

“Oh, I have to work, so I won’t be able to make it,” Toni said, not really upset at having to turn down the invitation. If it was any indication by the way Cheryl was acting right now, she should not be seen with the redhead out at a Northside party.

“You’re going to be there, right Cheryl?” Veronica asked, looking at the girl.

“Oh. I don’t know.”

“Oh, but Heather is going to be there. So, I get if you don’t want to come.”

Betty looked at Cheryl. “What’s up with you and Heather anyway?”

“Yeah,” the fourth member of the group—who Toni hadn’t gotten the name of—said, “you two used to always have lunch together, and now she’s been missing from our table.”

“We had a fight,” Cheryl answered plainly.

“Haven’t you two known each other since, like, birth? How did one fight turn into you guys literally not speaking. And, for the record, Vixens practice has been so awkward and tense since we all realized that you two aren’t talking anymore.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Cheryl said. “It’s really just between me and Heather. And honestly, I’m considering the fight over.”

Veronica frowned. “So, what, you two are just like, not friends anymore?”

Cheryl nodded and said, plainly, “Pretty much.”

The food and Cheryl’s extra milkshake arrived at the table, and everyone began to eat and talk. Toni entertained a little more conversation with the group—and thankfully learned that the fourth member of the group was _Archie_ , who Jughead had definitely mentioned before—but after a while, she found herself staring at Cheryl, who very clearly did not want to be there. When the girl’s second milkshake was almost empty, Toni tapped her shoe on Cheryl’s underneath the table. Cheryl looked at her curiously, and Toni looked out the window and nodded.

Cheryl seemed to understand, and she cleared her throat as she straightened up. “Well, I think Toni and I should probably go. I’m her ride, and it’s getting late.”

“Oh, okay,” Veronica said, “well thanks for letting us join you.”

Everyone got up to let the two of them out of either side of the booth, and as they were sitting back down, Cheryl pulled some cash out of her purse and dropped it on the table. “This should cover everything.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jughead insisted.

“Don’t worry about it,” Cheryl replied, before heading out of the diner. Toni gave the group a quick goodbye before following.

As they walked toward Cheryl’s car, she said, “That was nice of you.”

“Yeah, well. Veronica is my only friend left at Riverdale High, so I should be keeping myself in her good graces.”

Toni frowned. “You really don’t consider any of the others your friends?” Cheryl shook her head. “Well. I think they maybe consider you their friend.” Betty and Archie definitely did, from what Toni could tell. She knew that Jughead was more on the fence, but Jughead was loyal, and if Betty supported Cheryl, so did he. Toni knew that much.

Cheryl let out an exasperated breath as they both got into the car. “How could you possibly know that?”

“They came over to us and joined us, and asked you about what they noticed has been different about you…”

“They joined us,” Cheryl said, “because you invited them to, and Jughead and _you_ are friends.” Toni immediately sensed the hostility in Cheryl’s tone, and she was even more confused. She knew that Cheryl didn’t really like Jughead, but she didn’t understand why she was suddenly sounding so angry about Toni being friends with him.

“Why do you say it like that?”

“Sorry, I’m just on edge,” Cheryl muttered. “That whole interaction was just… stressful.”

“Why?” Toni demanded. “You didn’t want them to join us? Half of them already knew that you and I knew each other. Archie seems harmless, and if Veronica is your _friend_ , what’s the harm in her knowing?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Cheryl put the car in drive and left the Pop’s parking lot. Toni was trying to find the words to say to Cheryl, to try and get to the bottom of whatever was going on. Finally, when they were only a few minutes from Sunnyside, and she was running out of time, she decided that she should just apologize.

“Seriously, Cheryl, what’s up? Okay, I’m sorry for inviting them to join us. It was my bad, I didn’t realize you’d be so mad.” Cheryl finally looked over at Toni for a moment and let out a breath.

“I’m just worried that Veronica might tell Heather.”

Toni didn’t understand why that was Cheryl’s worry. “And?”

“ _And_ , Heather knows that I’m gay,” Cheryl said, sounding a little frustrated.

Toni was quiet as Cheryl drove up to Sunnyside, trying to understand what Cheryl meant. If Veronica told Heather that Cheryl was hanging out with a girl from the Southside, Heather would assume that Cheryl and Toni were dating. Toni felt her heart clench as it became clear. Cheryl didn’t want anyone to think that they were dating. “Oh.” Cheryl looked at her now that the car was in park. “You don’t want her to think that _we’re_ dating.”

“Yeah,” Cheryl answered, and Toni felt an ache in her chest.

“Got it.” Toni sucked in a breath and noticed that Cheryl gave her a weird look.

“Hey, what—”

“I should go,” Toni stated, opening the car door. “I’ll send you the pictures when I’ve finished retouching them.”

“Wait, Toni—”

Toni shut the door before she could hear anything else that Cheryl had to say. This wasn’t her deciding to cut off Cheryl again—she wasn’t stupid—but she needed some space. She had finally started to think that maybe, just maybe, Cheryl was feeling the same vibes between the two of them that Toni kept feeling. But apparently that was not the case. Plus, Toni was a Serpent, and Cheryl wasn’t. She would probably think it was ridiculous that Toni liked her—that Toni wished they were dating. She just needed to breathe. That’s why, instead of going straight to the trailer, she went and hopped on her bike, going out for a much needed joyride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop! No cliffhanger last chapter but cliffhanger this chapter, sorry about that ;D  
> Thank you all for your feedback and comments both here and on Twitter. I appreciate it so much <3  
> Feeling really drained after this week, but it makes me so happy to post updates for you all. Engagement with everyone is honestly my favorite part of posting fanfic, and getting to make friends with you lovely people <3 I hope you know how much I appreciate you all being here <3
> 
> Have a lovely weekend everyone! x See you on Sunday!!


	12. i'll let you adore me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni has spent the previous two days convincing herself that she should've expected Cheryl to not be interested in her, but on Friday night, Cheryl shows up to explain herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon lovelies! Decided to post this chapter early today because I wanted to do it before I start my homework (which I am really not excited about finally doing... wish me luck please)
> 
> No one has noticed what's interesting about the chapter titles of this story...
> 
> Sorry in advance that this chapter is a little short! <3 I'll make up for it with some really long chapters later, like seriously, 8k and 10k word chapters... ;D  
> Enjoy!xx

Toni knew better than to ghost Cheryl again. She knew that, firstly, that would absolutely make things worse, and that, secondly, Cheryl would probably not forgive her again if she did. Not to mention, Toni knew that—logically—she should’ve expected this. Cheryl had expressed multiple times that Serpents and Northsiders basically couldn’t and shouldn’t date each other. Of course she didn’t see Toni that way, even if Toni thought that she could feel the feelings between them.

Toni needed to get over it.

So, instead of ghosting Cheryl, she was texting her just as often, but she was keeping the conversations shallower.

On Thursday morning, Cheryl had texted her to check if things were good with them.

**Cheryl – Good morning, Toni. Are we okay? I don’t really know what happened last night.**

**Toni – Yeah, Red, we’re fine. It was just a weird night, I got weird, it’s fine.**

**Cheryl – Okay… well, I had a good time doing the photoshoot. I can’t wait to see the pictures edited.**

**Toni – Yeah, I’ll probably get around to finishing that this weekend.**

**Cheryl – Cool. Maybe we can hang out then, and I can see them?**

**Toni – Maybe.**

**Cheryl – Okay. Well, have a good day at school.**

**Toni – You too.**

Toni knew that Cheryl could tell the difference in her texting, because Friday morning, she blatantly mentioned it.

**Cheryl – Toni, are you okay? You’re acting weird over text.**

**Toni – I’m fine, Cheryl.**

**Cheryl – You don’t sound convincing.**

**Toni – It’s a text message. How convincing should I be able to sound?**

**Cheryl – Better than what you’re doing.**

**Toni – I’ve gotta focus on class, Red.**

They had texted briefly during Cheryl’s lunch, when Toni was in class, but then she had pocketed her phone and ignored her for a little while, using the excuse of class.

When Toni left school that afternoon, Fangs and Sweet Pea had bombarded her before she could leave. “Hey, Tiny! Party at Fangs’ place, tomorrow night, seven tonight!”

“Party for what?” Toni had asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“I don’t know. For the hell of it? Because I’m pissed spring break is over?” Fangs had asked back with a laugh. “Take your pick. The usual gang will be there.” Toni didn’t know how extensive the ‘usual gang’ was, but she shrugged.

“Okay.”

“Oh, and invite Cheryl,” Sweet Pea had said with an encouraging smile.

Toni had mustered her best smile. “I will.”

The look he'd given her told Toni that he noticed her being weird, but he hadn't questioned it. “Cool. You headed to work?”

“Yep. Either of you guys planning to be at the bar tonight?”

Sweet Pea frowned. “Sorry, man, I’ve gotta help Noah with some school thing.”

“Yeah, and I’ve got a date with Joaquin,” Fangs said with a grin. “But I’m sure the bar won’t be too bad tonight.”

Now, though, Toni was at work, and although she was relieved that the school week was over, the bar was definitely busy. She tried to let work distract her from how she was feeling in relation to Cheryl Blossom, but she couldn’t stop replaying her conversation with the girl from Wednesday in her head.

That’s why, at around eight-thirty—an hour and a half before Toni got off—she sneaked open a beer in the back room and chugged it as fast as she could before slipping back out to keep working. She got back to work, but twenty minutes later, took down a second beer, and then at nine-thirty, a third. That was when Hog Eye caught her in the back and crossed his arms over his chest.

“What’s going on back here, Toni?”

Toni gave her boss the most charming smile she could muster. “Nothing?”

“You know I don’t like drinking on the job,” he said, his voice gruff. Toni sighed.

“Yes, sorry, I know. Bad day.”

He sighed. “Well, go on, may as well cut your shift short. That beer is coming out of your paycheck.”

“Got it,” Toni said with a nod, choosing not to mention that it was her third beer for the sake of being able to afford rent and shit. “Sorry, Hog Eye. It won’t happen again.”

“I know. Now go on.”

Toni nodded, and slipped out of the back room. She grabbed her stuff, and then quickly bought two more beer bottles from her coworker, before heading out of the Wyrm. The alcohol was definitely setting in, considering how fast she’d chugged each of her drinks, she wasn’t surprised that it seemed to be affecting her quite a bit. She drank the entire fourth beer during her walk back to the alley behind the Wyrm, where she settled into her little hole in the wall on the crate. She glanced at the second crate, the one that had become Cheryl’s over the past few weeks and sighed.

She popped open the second beer after putting the empty one on the ground, but she didn’t chug this one. She just took one sip and then leaned against the dirty wall, letting her eyes fall closed.

She dozed for a little while—she wasn’t sure how long—and then woke up again to the sounds of what was likely some kind of Ghoulie activity nearby. Sighing, she took another sip from her fifth beer, and then grabbed out her joint, lighting it and taking a long hit.

Then, suddenly, someone was coming into her hole in the wall, and Toni let out a gasp, before realizing that it was a familiar, redheaded beauty. “Jesus, Cheryl! You scared the shit out of me!”

“Sorry,” Cheryl apologized, standing up straight and observing Toni. “Rough day?”

Toni sighed. “You could say that.” Cheryl pursed her lips, but said nothing else, so Toni asked, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to talk to you about Wednesday. Clearly, you were mad at me for something.”

“I’m not.” The lie slipped out so easily thanks to the alcohol in her system. “I was just tired. It had been a long day.”

“Toni,” Cheryl snapped, “I’m the _queen_ of lying. You can’t lie to me.”

Toni narrowed her eyes into a glare at the Northsider. “Watch me.” Cheryl shook her head, whether in disbelief or exasperation, Toni couldn’t tell.

“You got mad because I said that I don’t want Heather to think that you and I are dating.” Toni was a little surprised that Cheryl said this as a statement rather than a question, but it wasn’t like she was wrong.

“Yeah.”

“It wasn’t anything personal, Toni,” Cheryl insisted, which Toni almost scoffed at. “If Heather thought that I was dating _anyone_ from the Southside, especially a _Serpent_ , it wouldn’t matter if I was gay or straight. She wouldn’t keep that secret. Especially not since she’s mad at me already.”

“I get it,” Toni snapped, “Serpents and Southsiders are terrible and they can’t date Northsiders. I’ve heard your spiel on this multiple times, alright? I don’t need to hear it again.”

Cheryl frowned, and after a brief pause, she said softly, “I don’t believe that anymore.”

Toni didn’t—couldn’t—believe her. After everything Cheryl had said she’d believed, how could Toni just believe it had all changed? “Sure, Cheryl. Whatever you say.”

“I’m being serious,” Cheryl snapped. “And you’re not understanding me. The reason that I don’t want Heather to think that we’re dating is because I don’t want her to out me. I want to come out myself. That’s _it_ , there’s no other reason.”

Toni was barely paying attention. “Great, cool, good for you,” she rattled off, before chugging the last of her beer.

“Were you drinking before you came her?” Cheryl asked firmly.

“Maybe.” Toni shrugged and tossed her empty beer bottle to the ground. It bounced off of the concrete loudly, causing Cheryl to flinch, but didn’t break. Toni took a long hit from her joint and heard Cheryl sigh.

“I think there’s some miscommunication happening here,” Cheryl said slowly. “You say you weren’t mad on Wednesday, but clearly, you were, and you still are. You’re not accepting my answer regarding what was said. I need you to work with me here.”

Toni looked up at the girl, surprised at how much effort she was putting in to discuss this with Toni. “Okay, yeah, I’m kind of mad. You said you didn’t want Heather to think that we’re dating. I took that to mean that you’d be ashamed of it, because I’m a Serpent, and I took offense.”

“I never said I would be ashamed of it, Toni,” Cheryl whispered, taking a step closer to where Toni was sitting. “I wouldn’t be. I just don’t want to have my public coming out to happen because Heather was being judgmental about who I’m supposedly dating.” Cheryl took in a deep breath, and added, “I would _not_ be ashamed of dating you.”

Toni blinked—she was very surprised to hear Cheryl say that so plainly. It made it much easier to believe the words, but Toni was still kind of confused. The whole time at Pop’s, with Cheryl’s friends, Cheryl had seemed so uncomfortable. “Oh… okay. Well… that’s good, I guess. I guess I got the wrong impression. Because while we were at Pop’s, it seemed like you didn’t even want the group to think that we were friends.”

“It’s not that,” Cheryl insisted. “I was surprised that you invited them to sit with us, and I didn’t really mind explaining how we met.”

“But it was a lie,” Toni bit back.

“Barely. I just took out the part where we’d met previously because you caught me staring at my best friend who, at the time, I’d had a crush on!” Cheryl exclaimed.

“Or, you didn’t want them to know you’d been to the White Wyrm, because it’s a Serpent hangout.”

Cheryl was glaring at Toni now. “Why do you keep putting words in my mouth? I never said that I didn’t want them to know that! I’m not ashamed of knowing you Toni, or spending time on the Southside!”

“Alright, fine, I believe you,” Toni conceded, although she was still confused as to what had happened at dinner that day. “Look, that was, honestly, the reason I was mad—that you said that. But it was also because of how you were all through that dinner. You didn’t want to be there. You were so quiet. And I know that when you’re comfortable, you aren’t quiet. I know I shouldn’t have invited them to sit with us. But I really didn’t expect you to get upset about it, and I was upset that that was something you were upset about. I get it, though, it’s because of Heather.”

Cheryl opened her mouth a little, clearly hesitating, and Toni waited to hear what it was she was going to say. “It’s not… that’s not the whole reason why I was so quiet during dinner.”

Toni was confused now. “It wasn’t?”

“No,” Cheryl said, her voice barely even a whisper all of the sudden. She suddenly looked a little faint as she continued, “I was… jealous. I know it’s stupid, but… Jughead was talking about your photography, and I remembered that you said… you said that the two of you almost hooked up.”

Toni’s heart was suddenly pounding, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Cheryl was jealous… because Toni had almost hooked up with Jughead a long while ago. Cheryl was _jealous_. That could really only mean one thing. Toni chewed on the inside of her lower lip, before she pressed her fingers around the tip of her joint, putting out the little light, and slid it into her pocket. She stood slowly from the crate and looked straight at Cheryl. “You were jealous of Jughead Jones?”

“I know, it’s ridiculous, and it might even be the lowest point I’ve ever reached,” Cheryl said, and Toni was impressed to hear a joking tone in Cheryl’s voice. She couldn’t help but smile a little. Toni took a step closer to Cheryl, and they were close enough now that Toni could feel almost like a magnetic pull between the two of them. “I’m sorry,” Cheryl breathed out. “I know that it’s stupid that I was jealous. Just… I didn’t want anyone there to know how close we are in case Heather found out, but also… also, it hurt me every time you said _friend_ , and every time you downplayed how well we knew each other. It’s stupid and hypocritic.”

Toni tilted her head, amused at what Cheryl was saying. “So, you’re telling me that you were upset at dinner because I was doing exactly what you wanted me to do?”

“I’m sorry.”

Toni shook her head. “Don’t be.” Her heart was pounding, and she could feel herself about to do something she’d been wanting to do for weeks now. “Damn… Cheryl Blossom, you are seriously the weirdest person that I’ve ever met.”

Cheryl looked at her in confusion. “I—what?”

Toni laughed a little, stepped forward just enough to reach her hands around Cheryl’s face, and pulled the girl in for a kiss. For half a second, Cheryl was frozen in Toni’s embrace, and then she relaxed and kissed Toni back, and Toni felt her heart soar. She wrapped on of her hands behind Cheryl’s neck, and left the other on Cheryl’s jaw, her thumb stroking Cheryl’s cheek. Her lips moved softly against Cheryl’s, and it felt so good to let herself become completely intoxicated by Cheryl Blossom—something she had wanted to do for so long now. She wished that she wasn't so tipsy in this moment, realizing that this was her first kiss with the Northsider. The first kiss, but she pleaded to the universe that it wouldn't be the last.

Toni pulled her lips away after a few seconds, and looked up to meet Cheryl’s gaze, their faces still very close together. She saw no indication that Cheryl had been uncomfortable by the kiss. Toni wasn't sure what to say for a second, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had finally gotten to kiss this beautiful girl. Finally, though, she remembered the previous conversation and started to speak. “You don’t have to be jealous of Jones,” she promised softly. “We’re just friends, even when we did almost hook up, there weren’t any feelings there. And, obviously, he’s dating Betty. And he loves her.”

“I know,” Cheryl whispered. “It was stupid.”

“No,” Toni argued, “it wasn’t stupid. You know as well as anyone that feelings don’t always make us think or do the best things.”

“Are you really roasting me about Heather right now?” Cheryl asked, her voice soft and light, getting a laugh from Toni.

“Only a little.”

Their eyes continued to stare into one another’s for a moment, and as she tried to figure out what to say, Toni saw a blush growing on Cheryl’s cheeks. “Um… let me get you home? You’re too drunk to drive your death bike.”

“Okay,” Toni agreed easily, not even bothered by the comment about her motorcycle.

They left the hole in the wall, and Cheryl helped Toni block it back up, and they started back toward the Wyrm. Toni suddenly felt Cheryl’s hand bump into hers, and Toni instinctively grabbed it, her heartrate spiking as she reveled in the feeling of their fingers folding together.

When they got to Cheryl’s car, they released their hold of each other and got inside. Toni hummed thoughtfully and said, “Let’s take the top down?”

Cheryl smiled and then lowered the top from her car before starting it and pulling out of the parking lot. Toni stared up at the sky, which was speckled with so many stars. “You feeling okay?” she heard Cheryl ask her.

“Yeah. I’m maybe just a little teensy bit drunk.”

“How many beers did you have after you got off?”

Toni snickered as she said, “Uh, I think you mean how many did I have during the last hour of my shift…”

“Toni!”

“What? I felt like shit, so I had one… and then a second… and a third.”

“And then two more after?” Cheryl asked, to which Toni nodded. “Well, at least it’s not super late, so you should have plenty of time to sleep it off tonight.

“Yeah.”

During the short drive back, Toni's thoughts were swarming with the fact that she'd just kissed Cheryl Blossom, the girl she'd been hopelessly crushing on for weeks now. Despite wanting to think that that would happen one day, she'd spent so much time convincing herself that it wouldn't—couldn't—happen. And yet... here she was, her lips still tingling from that short, soft kiss. The only thing left now was to admit that it hadn't been a random, drunken decision in the heat of the moment. She would've done it if she was sober, too. She needed Cheryl to know that.

They got to Sunnyside, but as Cheryl shut off the car and started to get out of the car, Toni felt her heart clench—she knew she needed to say this one last thing before the night ended, or at least before they were in the presence of anyone else. “Wait,” she said, “can we just… sit here for a second and look at the stars?”

“Okay.” Cheryl closed her car door and looked up at the sky as well. Toni tried to think of the best way to make sure that Cheryl knew exactly why she had kissed her—exactly why she’d been acting so weird the past week.

Finally, she cleared her throat and said, with her eyes still trained at the sky, coming up with nothing other than the simplest way to explain. “I like you. I didn’t just kiss you because it was spur of the moment.”

“I know,” Cheryl whispered. Toni was surprised by the answer, and she turned to focus on her attention on the redhead, wondering if she'd been more obvious than she thought over the past few weeks. “When I spoke to Sweet Pea last weekend, and I told him that I’m gay… the first thing he did was ask if you knew, because you would be happy to hear it. And I told him that you did know, but I didn’t understand what he meant. But he said that, to him, it was obvious that you liked me.”

Toni frowned, realizing that Cheryl only even knew because someone had told her. “So, you didn’t know until last weekend?”

“I didn’t realize, no. But… I think I sort of did know, at the same time.”

“Ah.” Toni felt like that made sense, after all, it was only a week ago or so that Cheryl even realized that she didn’t like Heather anymore. If she had thought that Toni might like her, she probably would’ve tried to ignore it. Nonetheless, the point was that Cheryl knew, and that she had kissed her back earlier. This crush suddenly didn't seem doomed, and Toni let herself just be happy about that much. She took in a deep breath, and then suddenly remembered that she was supposed to invite Cheryl over to Fangs’ party. “Hey… I was supposed to invite you to this thing that’s tomorrow night. I hadn’t gotten around to it, because… well, yeah. Anyway. Fangs is having a little party tomorrow night. It’ll probably just be him, Sweet Pea, me, and maybe Jughead. But you’re invited. If you want to come?”

“Sure,” Cheryl agreed without any moment of hesitation. Toni felt herself lighten up a little more at the quick answer.

“You’re not going to go into jealous mode again?” Toni teased, getting an eyeroll from the redhead.

“No.”

Toni smiled. “Okay, good.” Cheryl turned her head to look at Toni, and the Serpent watched those soft eyes observe her face, hair, down to her outfit. Toni felt her cheeks get warm, realizing that this was not the first time Cheryl had looked at her like this—she thought about being at the park, during spring break. Maybe Cheryl had, unknowingly, had feelings for Toni all this time.

“You should probably go get some sleep, Toni.”

Toni let out a sigh as she met the girl’s gaze. “Okay.” Toni climbed out of the car, and Cheryl did so as well, going to put the top back up on her car. Toni walked around the car to stand next to Cheryl, who faced her as soon as she was finished. “Thank you for the ride home.”

“Anytime. Just, don’t forget about your bike tomorrow morning.”

“Like I would,” Toni joked back. “Um, so I’ll see you tomorrow? At Fangs’ trailer, at like seven-ish. I’ll text you details when I’m not a little drunk.”

Cheryl gave her a soft smile. “Okay.” Toni looked back and forth between Cheryl’s eyes, and then used her drunkenness to gather a bit more courage, closing the distance between their lips with a short kiss. It lasted only a second, but it was enough to get Toni’s heart racing. Cheryl’s smile widened. “See you tomorrow, Toni.”

“Bye, Cheryl.” She turned around with a smile on her face and headed up to Sweet Pea’s trailer.

When she walked in, Sweet Pea looked up at her curiously. “You look oddly happy.” Toni shrugged. “I guess things are… good?”

“Yeah. Oh, but also, fuck you,” she said, in reference to him telling Cheryl that she liked her.

“Uh—what?”

“Nothing,” Toni answered with an eyeroll. “I’m gonna get ready for bed and pass out, I’m drunk.”

“You just got off of work, right?” Toni shrugged. “Okay, fine, we’ll talk tomorrow, weirdo.” Toni slipped into the bathroom and quickly got ready for bed, and when she came out, Sweet Pea was in his room. Toni went over to the couch and made her bed, climbing into it and then texting Cheryl.

**Toni – Did you make it home okay?**

She perused a few social media apps as she waited a couple of minutes for Cheryl’s reply.

**Cheryl – I did. Why aren’t you asleep?**

**Toni – I had to take off my makeup and brush my teeth and shit, I’m not a barbarian.**

**Cheryl – Trust me, I know you’re not.**

**Toni – I should probably sleep now, though. I just wanted to make sure that you made it home.**

**Cheryl – Well, I wasn’t the one who’d been drinking, so I made it back just fine.**

**Toni – Haha. I’ll see you tomorrow, Cheryl.**

**Cheryl – Yeah, goodnight :)**

**Toni – Goodnight :)**

She let out a happy sigh as she sent the message, and then plugged her phone into the charger by the couch. She curled up in the blankets that Cheryl _still_ hadn’t taken back yet, and let her eyes fall closed. She had kissed Cheryl, and Cheryl had kissed her back. As rough as the past few days had been, it was definitely worth it for this outcome. Her crush on Cheryl had been realized, after Cheryl's crush on her former best friend had finally gone away. Toni didn't have to spent her time falling asleep convincing herself that Cheryl didn't like her that way now. No, instead, she could fall asleep with a smile on her face that night, simply excited to see Cheryl again the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this one even though it was short <3 There's going to be 1 chapter that's shorter than this one (chapter 21) and one that's around 4k words (I think chapter 14), and all of the rest will be >5k so don't worry <3
> 
> Hey, if you didn't see on Twitter, I finished another Choni story, the one I've been working on for a few weeks! I'm so happy that I'm going to have something else to post immediately after this story! <3 Maybe if I'm lucky I'll even be able to crank out another story before that one is finished being posted too! That's the dream, right?
> 
> Thank you all for being here, I so so appreciate it <3 I hope you all had a good weekend, and that we can all bring in this week with some positive vibes, which I at least am desperate for right now haha. Have a lovely week everyone!


	13. i don't mind if you see me tomorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni's friends are having a party at Fangs' trailer, and Cheryl joins them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon everyone!  
> I am (a) exhausted, and it's only Monday, and (b) feeling emotionally drained for probably many different reasons, and so I decided that an update was in order! Apparently I like to update now to cheer myself up haha. But it is a Monday, and we all deserve the pick me up!
> 
> This chapter is basically 1 to 1 with Chapter 15 of What A Time, but what you'll notice (if you remember or look between the two) is that multiple moments that were skipped over in What A Time have been elaborated here! I had a lot of fun doing that actually, filling in the little summarized moments. I hope you'll enjoy reading them :)
> 
> Thank you for all of the support you guys have been giving me for this story here and especially also on Twitter! Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories <3
> 
> Enjoy!xx

When Toni woke up on Saturday, her head aching due to getting a bit drunk the night before, Sweet Pea was practically looming over her with a dopey grin on his face, and she immediately glared and threw one of the couch pillows at him. “The fuck, man? What’s your problem?”

“Oh, nothing. Just waiting for you tell me all about your romantic confessions with Cheryl from last night,” he answered, his smile turning smug.

“What the fuck?” Toni demanded. “Were you stalking me?”

“No,” he said with a laugh. “Cheryl told me. She’d texted me to ask where you were last night, and afterward she told me she’d gotten ahold of you. She didn’t deny it when I asked if you guys finally told each other you liked each other.”

Toni groaned—it was kind of weird that Cheryl was talking to Sweet Pea, but at the same time, it kind of made Toni happy to know that she wasn’t the only Serpent that Cheryl spent time talking to. “I didn’t realize you were so invested, Sweets.”

“Dude. I’ve been watching you pine after this girl for _weeks_. Last weekend when she told me she was into girls, I knew it was just a matter of time,” Sweet Pea said proudly. Toni rolled her eyes. “I’m just happy for you, dude.”

“Thanks,” Toni grumbled, before climbing off the couch. “I’m gonna get ready. What’s for breakfast?”

“Cereal?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Toni spent time doing her makeup and then changed into her favorite lace up jeans, and a loose, plum colored crop top. This evening she would be hanging out with her friends, and Cheryl, so she wanted to look her best.

Then she settled onto the couch to work on picking out her favorite photos of Cheryl from Wednesday. She’d been putting it off, but she really needed to get it done.

A little while later, Toni felt her phone buzz, and she looked down to see a text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – Good morning! You wouldn’t believe who’s in my house this morning.**

**Toni – Hm, let me guess… Heather!?!?! Did I get it?**

**Cheryl – Ha. Yeah.**

Toni hummed to herself, wishing she could give Cheryl’s twin a piece of her mind. What kind of brother kept sleeping with a girl who had been an asshole to his sister? Although, Toni knew he probably didn’t know many details on the fight.

**Toni – How come your brother is sleeping with her? Doesn’t he know that you’re mad about it?**

**Cheryl – I told him he can do what he wants, but to watch out for her. I don’t see it lasting long, to be honest. Apparently she’s speaking to me now. Trying to make me mad or something.**

Toni frowned—now she wished she could give Heather a piece of her mind, although that wasn’t new.

**Toni – Well, don’t let it get to you.**

**Cheryl – I’m not. What are you up to this morning?**

**Toni – Oh, not much. My head’s hurting a little from last night, so I’m taking it easy. Plus, work actually did suck yesterday and my feet are kind of killing me.**

**Cheryl – You don’t work today, right?**

**Toni – Right. I was supposed to, but they took me off the schedule earlier this week. Which I mean, is nice since I can go to the party, but it does suck.**

**Cheryl – Well, let me know if you want any company before the party.**

Toni felt her heart skip a beat as she realized that Cheryl was offering to come over early.

**Toni – That does sound like it would be a nice distraction from the fact that I won’t be making any money. Wanna come over sometime after noon?**

**Cheryl – Sure.**

Toni smiled to herself, and then glanced up as she heard one of the bedroom doors slam open dramatically, revealing a disheveled and sleepy looking Noah. “Morning, Toni,” he muttered, going straight to the box of cereal.

“Morning, kid,” Toni said back with a laugh.

**Toni – Cool. Oh, but Sweets and Noah are here, and Noah has definitely been crushing on you since you last met him.**

**Cheryl – Lol, well, he’s very sweet so.**

**Toni – Let me know when you’re headed here, I’m going to work on the photos so that hopefully they’re done when you get here.**

**Cheryl – Cool :)**

Feeling on top of the world now, Toni focused on selecting the best pictures of Cheryl that she’d taken. She had already decided on the one on the barrel, and after playing around with some of the editing, it was definitely her favorite. Still, she was thinking she would submit five of them—the max that she was allowed to submit. She picked another one of Cheryl standing, leaning against the barn and looking away without a care in the world. The third was a picture of her standing by a tree, one hand wrapped around the thin trunk, and the other above her, holding onto a branch. Her chest was puffed out a little, and she stared right into the camera. Toni bit down on her lip as she looked at it.

The fourth picture she chose was from the walk across the Blossom property, back toward the house. She’s instructed Cheryl to go a few paces in front of her and just walk, and Toni had caught a still of her glancing up at the sky as she did, her hair blowing in the breeze. You couldn’t see her face, but Toni liked the mystery of it. Plus, Cheryl’s backside was just as nice to look at.

The last picture was, in a way, Toni’s favorite. Cheryl was leaning against the old brick of Thornhill, one hand resting in the pocket of her shorts, the other brushing some of her hair behind her ear. Her gaze was cast down, and she was wearing a wide grin on her lips. Toni hadn’t really meant to use the picture, but she’d been snapping pictures of Cheryl left and right while lightly teasing the redhead, and this had been the product. She absolutely loved it.

It was a little after noon that Toni got the text from Cheryl, saying that she was on her way over. Toni quickly finished the last minute touchups. Not too long later, there was a knock on the door, but before Toni could get up, Noah jumped up from where he’d been doing something in a notebook at the dining table—he’d been sitting there since Sweet Pea left to go get groceries, and Toni told him she was too busy to hang out with him—and swung open the door.

“Hi,” Toni heard Cheryl’s voice greet him.

“You here to see Toni?” Noah asked, his voice sounding hilariously bitter.

“I am.”

“What’s so special about _her_?”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Let her in, Noah.” He let out an annoyed huff and let Cheryl inside, and Toni watched as Cheryl walked in, turning her head to look at the Serpent. Toni’s breath was honestly taken away by how hot Cheryl looked—she was wearing torn up jeans, a tight red tank top, and her leather jacket, as well as some red pumps. “Hey,” she breathed out.

“Hey,” Cheryl answered, closing the door as Noah went back to the table.

“Alright, I just finished with the photos I’m going to turn in,” Toni said proudly, as Cheryl came and sat next to her.

“I thought you were just turning in one?”

“She said at least one, max five, and I liked too many of them to not submit multiple. Look.” She clicked through the five newly edited photos, and watched as Cheryl’s eyes widened, clearly impressed.

“Wow. This looks like something you would see in like, a magazine.”

“Wow, that’s a pretty good compliment,” Toni teased, although she felt her cheeks heat up a little. “I have to submit them online by tonight, so I’m glad I finally finished.”

“You make me look really good,” Cheryl admitted, looking back at the pictures.

Toni smiled, happy that she didn’t need to hold back from saying, “You didn’t need me for that.” Cheryl’s cheeks turned visibly pink as she looked at Toni, and the Serpent got lost in her gaze.

“Can we order pizza?” Noah asked suddenly, breaking the two girls out of their reverie.

Toni breathed out slowly, looking past Cheryl. “Didn’t Sweet Pea go out to buy some groceries? He should be back soon, and we can make some lunch.”

Noah looked dejectedly at his notebook. “I want pizza.”

Cheryl looked over at Noah, and then back at Toni, and then back at Noah. “What kind of pizza do you like, Noah?”

Noah gave Cheryl big, hopeful eyes, and Toni knew that pizza was going to be purchased. “Pepperoni. Or sausage. Anything with meat. Except Hawaiian. Pineapple is disgusting.”

Cheryl looked back at Toni with a hopeful smile. “How about a pepperoni and a cheese?”

“You don’t have to do that…”

“I’m sure Sweet Pea won’t mind,” Cheryl insisted. “I could use lunch about now anyway.”

Toni finally sighed and nodded. “Alright. Let’s order pizza.” Noah let out a cheer as Cheryl pulled out her phone to go place the order. “That kid is definitely in love with you now,” Toni said, nudging Cheryl’s foot with her own and nodded to Noah, who was now grinning as he wrote in his notebook.

Cheryl looked up at Toni with warm eyes and teased, “Well, he’ll have to get over it. I’ve got my eyes on someone else…” Toni rolled her eyes.

“Don’t try and smooth talk me, Red.”

“Just making up for lost time.”

Toni blushed, and Cheryl smiled as she looked back down at her phone to finish the order.

It wasn’t too long later that Sweet Pea arrived back at the trailer with a few bags of groceries. When he saw Cheryl, he greeted her with, “Hey, Red!”

“Hey, Sweet Pea.”

“Sweets! Cheryl ordered pizza!” Noah informed his brother excitedly.

Sweet Pea grinned at Cheryl. “Oh yeah? Awesome. I wasn’t excited to cook anyway.” Cheryl turned her head and smiled at Toni.

“See?”

“Oh, shut up,” Toni said, but there was no animosity in her voice.

“When did you get here, Cheryl?” Sweet Pea wondered.

“Not too long ago,” she answered. “Turns out that Sunnyside is infinitely more entertaining than my home.”

“I think I know why that is,” Sweet Pea said with a smirk, looking between the two girls.

“Oh my god,” Toni muttered, sinking into the couch. She couldn’t take this teasing from her best friend. Cheryl just looked at Toni with amusement.

When the pizza arrived, they all squeezed into the living room to eat, and Sweets glanced between the two of them. “So, Tiny, it’s nice to see you less grumpy than that past couple of days.”

“Shut up.”

“I’m serious!” Sweet Pea exclaimed with a laugh.

“I will fight you, dude.”

“I’m confused,” Noah said, “why are you being an ass to Toni, Sweets?”

Cheryl let out a surprised laugh at the question, and Toni grinned proudly at her best friend’s little brother. “Yeah, Sweets? Why you being an ass?”

“I’m not!” Sweet Pea defended. “I’m just _observing_ a new _change_ in my best friend.”

“Keep it up any longer and you’ll be _observing_ your best friend’s _fist_ very close to your face,” Toni said with a fake grin, and Cheryl laughed again, her hand landing on Toni’s forearm and causing the Serpent’s skin to tingle.

“I told you not to tease her so much, Sweet Pea,” Cheryl tutted.

“And I told you that I can handle Tiny.”

Toni shook her head, taking another bite of her pizza. “As soon as my plate is clear, I’m coming for you, dude.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “Are you two really doing this while _Cheryl_ is here?”

“Yeah, Toni, you really gonna hit me while _Cheryl_ is here?” Sweet Pea asked teasingly. Toni suddenly kicked his leg, and he cursed as he pulled it away quickly. “Okay, okay, geez. Got it.” Toni smirked, and then looked at Cheryl proudly—the redhead was shaking her head in amusement.

After lunch, Noah convinced them all to play some card games with him, and they sat around the coffee table in the living room and played for a while. Toni kept catching Cheryl staring at her, though, and she was starting to wish that they didn’t have to go hang out with her friends later. She wanted to be alone with the Northsider, but unfortunately, that wasn’t really an option in the trailer.

When the evening came around, Sweet Pea sent Noah over to his friend’s trailer and then the three teenagers headed across the trailer park to Fangs’ place that he shared with Felicity. Toni wasn’t sure if Felicity was going to be there, but she knew that if she was, Cheryl would probably be a little less than comfortable. In fact, she was pretty sure that Cheryl was going to be a lot less comfortable once it was more than just Sweet Pea and Toni around her. It was nice, though, that Cheryl was still so willing to hang out.

They reached the trailer, and Sweet Pea knocked a few times before swiftly letting himself in, Toni and Cheryl on his tail.

“Hey! Sweets!” Fangs exclaimed. “Come on in, come on in! Hey, Tiny Toni! Hey, Red!”

“Hey, Fangs,” Toni greeted, noting that Fangs, Joaquin, Jughead, and Betty were all in the room. Toni couldn’t help but notice that everyone who had a significant other had them here. She wondered if Fangs was onto her and Cheryl, too. “Where’s the alcohol at?”

“Thanks to Felicity,” he said, “we actually have a lot.” He hopped up from where he was sitting in the living room. “In the fridge, there’s some beers, but there’s some bottles of harder stuff in the cabinet there.”

Toni nodded and looked at Cheryl. “Want something?”

“Beer?”

“You got it.”

“Come on in, guys,” Fangs insisted. “Sit down! We were just discussing how Jughead is officially going soft.”

Toni located three beers in the kitchen as she heard Jughead defend himself, “I am _not_ going soft.”

“Aren’t you working on the Riverdale High newspaper?” Joaquin asked.

“Yes, he is,” Betty answered defensively, “but that doesn’t make him any less capable of being a Serpent.”

Toni closed the fridge as Sweet Pea said, “Aw, look at your girl sticking up for you, Jones!”

“Don’t be sexist, Sweet Pea,” Toni snapped, walking into the living room and handing one of the three beers to her best friend, and the second one to Cheryl, who gave her a soft thanks. Toni sat down on the arm of the couch and glanced between Cheryl and the spot on the couch that was empty between the arm and where Sweet Pea was sitting, and Cheryl followed her silent advice and took a seat there.

“All of you guys know that I can take a beating, okay? And if you don’t already know that I can pack a punch, I’d be happy to show you,” Jughead joked, pointedly looking into the eyes of the guys in the room.

Cheryl glanced at Toni, drawing the pink haired girl’s gaze. “Is he talking about—”

“Initiation?” Sweet Pea interrupted. “Yep. Who told you about it?”

Toni lifted an eyebrow—obviously, she had been the one to tell Cheryl about it. “I did.”

“Then I guess you got to hear about Toni’s initiation?” Fangs asked with a snicker, and Toni felt her stomach twist a little.

“Shut up, dude.”

“Hey, it wasn’t like I was watching. Seeing a girl strip is really not high on my lists of interests.” Joaquin smirked, and he and Fangs looked at each other for a second.

“Hey, I thought this was a party,” Toni interrupted, “where’s the food?”

“Felicity said she’d bring us something.”

Sweet Pea snickered. “How does Felicity have her life in order while yours is a mess?”

“She has a real job, that’s how. Real enough that she’s out of here pretty soon.”

“What do you mean?” Jughead asked in surprise.

“She’s saved up enough to get closer to New York City,” Fangs explained, surprising Toni as well. “She was never really one for Serpent life. Of course, she’ll always be one of us, but she already talked to FP about getting away from it.”

“So, you’re gonna be living on your own?” Betty wondered.

“Guess so,” Fangs said with a shrug. “It’s fine, not like I have many bills to pay. FP said as long as I keep doing good for the Serpents, he’ll make sure my electricity and water stays on.” Toni sat up straighter, suddenly very interested in the topic. She loved that Vic was letting her crash at their place, but knowing that there was going to be a whole open bedroom at her other good friend’s trailer was a gamechanger.

“Any chance you’re looking for a roommate?” she asked hopefully.

Fangs leaned back a little. “Oh yeah, you’re out of your uncle’s for good, right?”

“Yeah, I’ve been crashing on Sweets’ couch. But I’m paying rent.”

“Well, I’m totally down for you to move in. Felicity should be gone in a week or two I think.”

Toni grinned, suddenly filling with excitement at the idea of having her own bed again. “Cool.” She could already think of so many perks of having that space to herself, and many of them involved the beautiful redhead sitting next to her.

“Noah’s gonna be upset,” Sweet Pea said with a chuckle.

“I’ll still see him all the time.”

“Oh, I meant since Cheryl won’t be coming around my place anymore,” Sweet Pea teased, and Toni looked down at the Northsider, who was blushing a little.

Jughead laughed a little. “Does Noah have a crush on Cheryl?”

“Definitely,” Toni confirmed. “She bought him pizza today, too, so I’m pretty sure it’s moved from crush to _love_.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes. “He’s sweet.”

“Hey, how about some shots, guys?” Sweet Pea suggested.

He went into the kitchen to pour a bunch of shots, which everyone in the group—Toni and Cheryl included, although Toni noticed that Cheryl only took about half of one. When they were finishing up their round of shots, Felicity showed up with a bunch of fried chicken takeout.

“Hey, Felicity!” Fangs exclaimed. “New plan—when you get out of here, Toni’s gonna take your room!”

Felicity looked at Toni with a raised eyebrow. “You really wanna live with this guy?”

Toni smirked. “I’m living with three dudes right now and sleeping on a couch.”

“Fair enough. Well, I’m glad Fangs won’t be stuck here alone.”

“Like he would’ve been alone much. I think we all know who’d be keeping him company.”

Fangs scoffed when Joaquin smirked at the comment. “Toni, I love you, but I will not be reducing my sexual activity due to you living with me.”

“And neither will I,” Toni replied boldly—as if she had much of a sex life right now. Although, she was hoping that, eventually, she would.

Fangs nodded slowly. “Alright, then.”

It was ridiculously easy for Toni to wind down and relax as she ate the greasy chicken and sipped her beer, sitting so close to the girl she had kissed last night and hanging out with all of her friends. Nothing had ever felt so easy, at least not in a long time, and Toni wondered if maybe the universe was finally paying her back after putting her through so much crap.

When they had all gone through at least one or two drinks, and were finished eating, Fangs threw his hands up in the air suddenly and exclaimed, “Truth or dare, losers!”

Jughead groaned. “Really, Fangs?”

“We’ve got two Northsiders here—two people we definitely need to get to know better,” Fangs insisted, looking between Betty and Cheryl. “Come on, truth and dare is fun.”

“I’m down,” Joaquin said, “dare me something, babe.”

Fangs smirked. “Mix your beer with some milk and chug it.” Sweet Pea and Felicity snickered at that, while Jughead, Betty, and Cheryl all looked absolutely disgusted. Toni just smirked, leaning back a little as she watched Joaquin go and get a cup, filling it with the disgusting mixture and then chugging it back.

“Dude,” Toni said, “you did that way too easily.”

Joaquin shrugged. “I have two older brothers.”

“Who’s your victim?” Fangs asked Joaquin, egging him on to continue the game.

“Hmm… Sweets!” Joaquin exclaimed. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare, obviously.”

“I dare you to step outside and howl at the moon,” Joaquin said with a laugh, and Sweet Pea puffed out his chest as he stood and left the trailer. Toni turned to look out the window behind her, seeing him take in a breath and then howl _extremely_ loudly toward the sky. He came back in immediately, looking at Joaquin unimpressed.

“I’m disappoint, dude, that was a lame dare.”

Toni glanced down at Cheryl, who looked more than a little intimidated. She lightly touched Cheryl’s hand, just long enough to rub her thumb across the top of it. Cheryl gave her a small smile, the nerves disappearing from her eyes as they met Toni’s.

“Alright, Felicity,” Sweet Pea said, drawing the older girl’s attention. “Truth or dare?”

“ _Dare, obviously_ ,” Felicity echoed Sweet Pea’s earlier sentiment mockingly.

“I dare you to lick the floor.”

Felicity didn’t even hesitate as she dropped onto all floors and dragged her tongue right on the disgusting floor. Toni made a disgusted face. As Felicity stood up, taking back a drink of her beer, Toni noticed her gaze immediately landing on Cheryl. Toni felt protective all of the sudden, knowing that Felicity was not a fan of Northsiders, especially the rich ones. Toni had always looked up to Felicity, and she still did, but Toni knew that she was a little bit more open minded when it came to people from the other side of town. Felicity had some not great experiences with more than a few people from the Northside.

“Red,” she said firmly, “truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Cheryl answered, which didn’t surprise Toni.

“Lame,” Sweet Pea and Fangs both muttered simultaneously.

Felicity let out a thoughtful hum. “What do you think of the Southside? Aren’t you practically Northside royalty?”

Toni didn’t know why she braced herself for Cheryl’s answer, but she didn’t need to. Cheryl didn’t hesitate to answer. “I like it, actually. Some of it takes some getting used to, and it took me some time to feel comfortable anywhere on this side of town. But… there are a lot of places on the Southside that are a lot nicer than I would’ve expected. And I like those places.”

Cheryl’s eyes darted up and met Toni’s for a second, and Toni bit back the smile that had appeared on her face. Felicity sounded pleased as she said, “Good answer, Red.”

Cheryl glanced around the circle, but Toni was already pretty sure the girl would pick her. When those dark eyes finally landed on her, she just gave her a smile. “Toni,” Cheryl said, “truth or dare?”

Toni had a feeling that Cheryl’s dares wouldn’t be nearly as bad as the Serpents’, but she wasn’t quite sure what kind of things the redhead would pull, so she played it safe. “Hm… I’ll go truth too.” She lifted an eyebrow at the girl and said, flirtier than she meant to, “Ask me anything, Red.”

Cheryl stared at her for a moment, clearly thinking, before asking, “What do you think of everyone in this room?”

Sweet Pea laughed. “C’mon, Tiny! There’s a right answer.”

Toni rolled her eyes at her friend and decided she would start with him. “Sweet Pea, you’re an ass, but I love you. Jughead, you’re a nerd. Betty… you’re cool, but I don’t really know you.” She looked to Fangs and Joaquin. “Joaquin, you’re the best gay Serpent I know. Fangs, the second best gay Serpent.” Fangs pressed his hand to his heart in feigned hurt as Toni smirked, looking at Felicity. “Felicity, you’re a badass for getting out of this place, and thanks for being okay with me taking your room after you leave.” Toni finally looked back at Cheryl, who was looking at her patiently. “Cheryl, you… were really not what I expected when we first met, but you’ve defied the expectations I did have.”

A smile appeared on Chery’s face, and Toni suppressed her own grin as she cleared her throat and looked at Betty. “Betty, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Betty said, as the boys groaned again.

“What’s the weirdest thing about Jughead?” Toni asked with a smirk.

Betty looked at her boyfriend thoughtfully. “Honestly? What’s with all of the S t-shirts, Jug?”

Jughead scoffed. “It’s my thing.”

“But why?” Jughead just shrugged, and the group laughed as Betty shook her head.

“Okay… Fangs. Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” Fangs answered.

Betty pursed her lips, and then said, “Show us your best horse impression.” Fangs immediately jumped up, eager to take the challenge as he let out a loud whinny, and Toni practically bust out laughing, along with everyone else in the trailer.

When the laughter died down and Fangs was sitting again, wearing a smug grin on his face, he looked at Toni and wiggled his eyebrows as he looked at Toni. “Toni, truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Toni answered, not feeling like being made to look like a fool in front of Cheryl.

“Hm… you’re our resident bisexual. Who in this circle is the most attractive?”

Toni smirked, despite her heart suddenly racing. She thought she saw Sweet Pea snicker on the other side of the living room, but she ignored it and said, “Really? This is no contest, most of you are ugly motherfuckers.”

“Excuse you!” Sweet Pea exclaimed.

“Hm…” Toni glanced around the group as though she had to think about it, and then finished, “Well, objectively, I’d have to go with Cheryl.”

“Objectively, huh?” Sweet Pea asked teasingly, which Toni answered with a glare.

“Yes.” She knew she needed to cover her ass, especially since no one, besides Sweet Pea, knew that Cheryl was even into girls. “No offense to any of you guys, but we can’t be surprised that the Northside Princess would win that one, can we?” Toni saw Cheryl roll her eyes, but she didn’t look upset, which relieved Toni.

The game continued for a couple more rounds, but then it died out, and Fangs turned on the TV as they all hung out. They chatted about how much they couldn’t wait for summer break, and their plans for said break. They talked about some new video game that was coming out, and Sweet Pea tried to tell everyone about this new band he was listening to. At some point, Joaquin nearly dropped his drink and shouted a string of curse words, which suddenly turned cursing into a drinking game. Toni ended up drinking at least five times due to her own habit of cursing. Cheryl seemed thoroughly amused every time, and Toni noticed that Cheryl hadn’t been drinking alcohol in a while. Toni suddenly felt bad about how much she was drinking.

At around eleven, Betty and Jughead excused themselves, trying to give an excuse, but everyone could tell—by their eye-fucking—that they were going to be having a lot of fun when they got back to Jughead’s trailer. Shortly afterward, Felicity said goodnight to the group and slipped into her bedroom, and it was at that point that Toni looked at Cheryl, their eyes meeting in silent agreement.

“I’m gonna go, I think,” Cheryl said, and Toni nodded in agreement.

“Me, too. Thanks for the party, Fangs. Hit me up about when Felicity is moving when you know, okay?”

“Will do, see you at school on Monday! Bye, Red, nice to see you.”

“You, too.”

The left the trailer, and when the door was shut, Cheryl looked at Toni curiously. “You’re pretty coherent for how much you’ve had to drink tonight, compared to yesterday, anyway.”

“Yesterday, what I drank was all in a period of like, forty-five minutes. Today, it was multiple hours.” Toni smiled. “I’m a big girl, Cheryl. I know how to drink responsibly. You want me to walk you to your car?”

“Sure,” Cheryl agreed, and they started the walk to the front of Sunnyside. The redhead took in a breath and looked back to Toni, “Do you work tomorrow?” Toni nodded in silent answer. “When?”

“Like four,” Toni answered. “Until nine, I think. Not a long shift. Why?”

Cheryl looked down at the ground, looking surprisingly shy. “I’d like to see you again tomorrow.”

Toni felt her heart flutter, and she teased Cheryl by asking, “Would you?” Cheryl blushed—it was obvious even in the dark. “Well. I’m glad we’re past the excuses. How about noon?”

Cheryl nodded. “Do you want us to meet somewhere on the Southside, or…” Toni lifted an eyebrow.

“Or?”

“Would you want to come over to Thornhill? If not, that’s okay.”

“I can come over,” Toni agreed, feeling surprisingly more levelheaded about this than she was on Wednesday. Maybe it was because she knew that Cheryl returned her feelings, and therefore she was going to need to brave Thornhill eventually.

“Okay, cool.”

Toni smiled softly as they walked up to Cheryl’s car. “Thanks for coming. And…” She thought about how grateful she was that Cheryl wasn’t pissed at her for the past few days. “I’m sorry, again, about the past couple of days.”

“Toni, you’re forgiven,” Cheryl insisted, “and it’s forgotten. Okay?” Cheryl opened the driver side door, but before she could get in, Toni gently grabbed her wrist. Cheryl turned to face her, and they were standing so close, their faces just inches apart. Toni tilted her head up, closing the distance between their lips. The kiss was slow, gentle, but could easily have slipped into something faster. Unfortunately, though, they both knew that this wasn’t the time, and they pulled apart after a few seconds. Cheryl released a slow breath. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Bye, Cheryl.”

“Bye, Toni.”

Toni watched Cheryl drive off, her heart racing from that kiss. She couldn’t believe that it was all real. Somehow, she was getting the girl, and she was going to have her own room to sleep in pretty soon. Things really seemed to be looking up, and it was, honestly, about time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CUTIES!  
> Loved reading this back, the unseen moments with Noah I had completely forgotten about and they made me chuckle. I always feel weird laughing at my own writing, but I mean I wrote it because I thought it was funny lmfao.
> 
> Anyway! I hope you guys enjoyed this one <3 I hope you all aren't having too rough of a Monday! Mine's not actually all that bad, I just feel pretty blaaah so I'm hoping that a little bit of rest before I have a meeting in 2 hours will help. Fingers crossed!
> 
> I hope you all have a great start to your week! Thank you so much for being here, and I'll see you all on Wednesday! x


	14. push your luck with me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni goes over to Thornhill for the second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good evening friends <3 Today was a day... let's end it with a fluffy update? :) This chapter is basically 1 to 1 with chapter 16 of What A Time. The next chapters after this one are loooong!
> 
> Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories if you want to ever chat or bother me to update or anything like that <3
> 
> Enjoy!xx

Toni knocked on the front door of Thornhill on Sunday a few minutes after noon, bracing herself in case Cheryl was not the one to open the door. But the door swung open after only a couple seconds, revealing none other than Cheryl.

“Hey,” Toni greeted, glancing nervously behind her to ensure that no one was lurking behind her.

“Hey,” Cheryl answered, smiling. “Come on in.”

Toni looked around the foyer as she entered, once again in awe of the huge space. “Man, even though I just saw this place on Wednesday, it still seems so huge.”

“One never really gets used to it.”

Toni didn’t believe that. “Really? You’re not used to it?”

“Okay… maybe I am,” Cheryl gave in. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. I think my mother might be home, so we’re going to avoid her.” Toni bit on the inside of her cheek nervously, but she did her best to push away the nerves as she followed Cheryl through the huge house.

They made it to Cheryl’s bedroom, which Toni was, once again, in awe of the size of. She glanced around at everything in the room as she heard Cheryl firmly shut her door. “So,” Toni said, “your mom is home?” She glanced over her shoulder to meet Cheryl’s gaze, and then went over to the girl’s big, red bed and settled onto it.

“I’m not completely sure, but better safe than sorry. Jason is here, though.”

“Ah, okay.”

Cheryl looked at her with thoughtful eyes, looking a little worried. “I’m sorry, would you rather go somewhere else? I’m sure she won’t bother us. She never really comes up here. Trust me, I only see her when I’m forced to, and that’s usually in the kitchen or dining room, since needing food is basically the one thing we have in common.”

Toni laughed at that, partially because it was a funny statement, and partially because Toni could absolutely relate to that. “No, that’s okay. I figured you’d be more worried about her seeing me here, though.”

Cheryl let out a little humph and said, “Well, frankly, I couldn’t care less about what she thinks about anything. So. Did you tell Noah about your plans to move into Fangs’ trailer?”

“I did, and as Sweet Pea suspected, he was very disappointed that you won’t be coming by as much anymore.”

Cheryl chuckled at that. “Well. I’m sure he’ll get over it. He’s a nice kid.”

“He is,” Toni agreed, before a smug smile came to her lips and she continued, “I can’t blame him for thinking you’re cute.”

Cheryl’s cheeks turned bright red, and Toni couldn’t fight her grin. She was hoping that Cheryl would come sit next to her on the bed, but the redhead took a few steps closer to her closet. “ _So_ ,” Cheryl said, clearly about to change the topic, “I went on a shopping spree over spring break, and I still haven’t gone through my whole haul. Wanna help me look through it?”

Toni was surprised to hear that it had been almost two weeks and Cheryl still hadn’t gone through her new clothes. She couldn’t imagine buying new clothes and then practically forgetting about them. “Sure? How much is there to go through?”

“A couple bags. I went through most of it already.”

Toni shook her head a little, although Cheryl wasn’t looking at her. “That’s crazy. I haven’t bought new clothes in like, five years. Most of my ‘newer’ stuff was given to me by Felicity.” That was true, although it had been almost two years since Felicity gave her that stuff. Cheryl didn’t say anything in response, and Toni had a feeling that she’d caught the wealthy girl off guard. It was moments like these that Toni remember how differently the two of them thought about money.

Cheryl opened one of the bags and Toni readjusted so that she was facing Cheryl and the closet. She reached inside of it and looked at its contents, before picking up the whole bag and looking at Toni. “You’ll like this.” She tossed it to Toni, and it landed right in Toni’s lap.

She opened the bag and pulled out multiple mesh tops and a pair of fishnets. “I’ve never seen you wear anything like this,” Toni commented—although she could definitely picture Cheryl wearing them, and it was one sexy picture.

“Well, I guess I was inspired.”

Toni smirked—she definitely hadn’t missed the fact that out of all the people Cheryl knew, Toni was probably the only one who did wear this kind of stuff. She looked back down at the clothes in her lap and grabbed one of the basic mesh crop tops. She balled it up and then threw it at Cheryl, who looked very surprised and barely caught it. “Well, let’s see it then!”

Cheryl lifted an eyebrow. “What do I wear with it?”

_As little clothing as possible_ was what Toni wanted to answer. Instead, she got up off of the bed and made her way to the closet, walking past Cheryl and entering the giant space. It fit an entire dresser, two shelf units, and multiple levels of hanging space. Every inch of the closet was full of clothes.

“What are you looking for?” Cheryl asked, although Toni had mostly been gaping and not actually searching yet.

“Bras.” Cheryl’s cheeks turned a little pink as she pointed to the top dresser drawer. Toni slid it open and bit down on the inside of her lower lip as she saw some of Cheryl’s bras _and_ panties. Trying to drag her mind out of the complete gutter, she grabbed a plain black bra after a moment of searching. She handed it to the redhead, and then scanned the closet, her gaze stopping on a shelf with neatly folded pants on it. She grabbed a pair of dark wash jeans and handed those to Cheryl as well. “Here,” she said simply, before leaving the closet and sitting back on the bed. “Also, your closet is fucking huge.”

“Guess we know how I managed to stay in there so long then, huh?” Cheryl asked, and Toni smirked—impressed that Cheryl was making closet jokes already. “It doesn’t have any lights, though, so turn around, I can’t change in there.”

Toni turned around so that she was facing the head of the bed, resisting the urge to be a total perv and peek. “A walk in closet without any lights?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the fact that Cheryl was getting almost completely naked behind her. “How does that make sense?”

“This house was built forever ago. They used to light it up with candles.”

“I guess that would make sense.” Toni looked at the side of the room she was facing, at the nightstands that stood on _either_ side of the bed, and the paintings Cheryl had up on her wall. “I could literally live in your room, with your bathroom and closet and that’s it. I might not have any source of food, but at least I could starve to death comfortably.”

Cheryl laughed; a sound that made Toni’s heart skip a beat. “Oh, Toni.”

“What?” Toni defended. “I’m serious.”

“It would be a very comfortable, yet very lonely, death.” Toni frowned when she heard Cheryl’s solemn tone, wondering how often Cheryl sat in this huge room, all alone, feeling the way that she sounded. “Okay. What do you think?”

Toni turned around, and her breath caught in her throat for a second as she slowly took in Cheryl’s entire body. The mesh crop top showed off her stomach completely, and Toni had apparently picked the perfect bra to go with it, because her cleavage was absolutely heavenly. The jeans weren’t so high rise that they blocked the view of Cheryl’s midsection, and they fit Cheryl’s curvature perfectly. “Damn. It looks good, Red.”

“Yeah?” Cheryl asked, looking surprisingly self-conscious for someone who was typically so confident. “I’ve never really worn stuff like this before.”

“Well, you look hot.” Toni noticed Cheryl’s blush reappear. “Don’t act so surprised, though. You know you do.” Cheryl bit down on her lower lip, and Toni squeezed her thighs together as the Northsider looked at herself in her mirror, checking her own outfit out.

“It does look good. What else do I have in that bag?”

“You don’t even know what you bought?” Toni asked in amusement, grabbing the bag and pulling everything out of it. “Some fishnets, and a couple more tops almost identical to that one. Why’d you buy so many?”

“I don’t know. I wanted to experiment.” She was now walking closer to Toni, whose eyes immediately zoned in on her cleavage. Cheryl grabbed the two other mesh tops. “This one is a lot different, see?” Toni wasn’t looking, but she nodded. “Well. Maybe I don’t need this one. You want it?”

Toni forced her gaze to stay on Cheryl’s face. “Sure, I guess?” Cheryl smiled and grabbed the two items that she wasn’t giving to Toni, bringing them back to her closet. “So,” Toni continued, stretching the word out a little, “do you really get lonely in here?”

“If I spend too much time in here alone, of course.” When she put it that way, it did sound pretty obvious. “When I was a kid, I spent all my time with Jason, so I never go lonely. Then, I had Heather, and I still wasn’t really all that lonely. But the older I got, the more often I would find myself sitting in here, during some time when Heather was busy or something, and realize that I didn’t really have anyone else… _that_ was lonely.”

Toni frowned. “That sucks, to have your bedroom remind you of being lonely.”

“Yeah.”

The Serpent sucked in a breath as she thought about the fact that she was sitting on Cheryl’s bed, and the redhead was wearing that mesh crop top, and the words just slipped out before she could keep them back, “I guess you’re gonna have to figure out a way to replace those associations.” Cheryl didn’t say anything in response, so Toni just bit down on her lip and looked around the room innocently. When she looked back at Cheryl, the girl was putting all of her haul away now. “What, no more fashion show?”

“The other stuff is pretty boring. Mostly replacements for old springtime tops that were getting old.”

Toni thought that was the weirdest concept, and she didn’t really think much about it when she told Cheryl, “In Sunnyside, we don’t replace things that are getting old. We wear them until they’re falling apart, and then we don’t even throw them away, we give them to someone else who needs them.”

Cheryl nodded slowly, and then said, softly, “I’ve never thought much about that. I never really realized the lifestyle difference until…”

“Until you met me?” Toni asked with a smirk.

“I was going to say until I’d seen the inside of Sunnyside trailers.” Toni nodded, wondering what Cheryl was thinking as she stared at some of the clothes in her closet for a moment. “Well, I have a lot of clothes I don’t need—some that I just replaced, and some that are years old and that I don’t want to wear or replace. Maybe I’ll… throw them in a bag, and we can take them to Sunnyside and give them away.”

Toni looked at Cheryl with curiosity, feeling a warmth in her chest as Cheryl clearly avoided her gaze for a moment. Finally, those dark eyes met hers, and Toni asked, “Yeah?”

“Do you think there’s be enough people who would want them?”

“Uh, definitely,” Toni answered, getting off of the bed and walking closer to Cheryl. “There’s a lot of kids in Sunnyside who could use some clothes, and they’ll gladly get clothes that are too big for the too, since they’ll be able to grow into them.”

“Okay, then it’s settled. Let me start pulling some stuff out.”

“Well, put me to work, I don’t want to just sit on your bed and watch you do all the work.”

Cheryl flashed Toni a smile. “Okay. You start with the things that are hanging.”

So Toni pulled down anything she hadn’t seen Cheryl wear in the weeks that she’d known her, and got a yes or no for every item, as Cheryl went through her dresser and shelves. At some point, Cheryl left the bedroom for a few minutes and then came back with a giant garbage bag. They filled it completely full of clothes that Cheryl didn’t want anymore, and it was about an hour later that they finally finished the task. “Next time I come to Sunnyside,” Cheryl said, “I’ll bring them.”

Toni let out a breath, her arms tired from reaching up and grabbing clothes off of the hanging bars, and walked over to Cheryl’s bed, collapsing onto it unceremoniously. “I didn’t realize I was getting myself into a _workout_ when I agreed to come over.” Cheryl was suddenly sitting next to where Toni was laying, and Toni forced herself to sit up a little as she smiled at the redhead. “It’s really nice that you did that, though. Those clothes will help a lot of people.”

“Everyone deserves to have good quality clothes. I have far more than I need. Half of those things I had pretty much forgotten I’d even had.”

Toni laughed a little. “See, that’s how you know you have too many clothes. Seriously, though, Cheryl. It will—or, it _does_ —mean a lot.” Cheryl smiled at Toni, who sat up a little more when she realized how close they were. Cheryl suddenly closed the minimal distance that was between them, pressing their lips together, but Toni immediately took control, moving her lips purposefully against Cheryl’s.

Cheryl adjusted her position and was now facing Toni directly. Toni lifted her hand to Cheryl’s cheek, touching the curve of her jaw with her thumb, and her other hand couldn’t help but go to the exposed skin on Cheryl’s waist. She heard Cheryl inhale sharply, and a noise, almost like a moan, came from her throat. Toni curled her fingers, her short nails digging into Cheryl’s lower back, and Cheryl’s hands suddenly tangled into Toni’s pink hair. Toni’s center throbbed as she let out a little noise in reaction, and Cheryl smiled into the kiss.

She felt lost in Cheryl’s embrace, and then, suddenly, a male voice was calling, “Cheryl?” through the door. Cheryl immediately pulled back from Toni and jumped off of the bed, and Toni quickly wiped her finger at her lips, in case her lip gloss had gotten smudged.

Cheryl opened her bedroom door to reveal her brother, who Toni had never seen before. He did look a lot like Cheryl, with the exact same colored hair and fair skin tone. “Yes?” Cheryl demanded, her impatience obvious in her voice.

“Uh, there’s a motorcycle outside, and mom asked me whose it was…” Cheryl groaned, and Toni mentally cursed herself for not having thought about that. Jason’s gaze was suddenly landing on Toni, though, and he said, “I’m guessing it’s hers?”

“Yeah, uh, that’s mine,” Toni answered. “Should I move it?”

“I mean, there’s no point. She already saw it. I’m Jason,” he added unnecessarily, “and you are…?”

“Toni Topaz,” Toni answered. “I’m a friend of Cheryl’s.”

“Well, Toni Topaz,” he started, sounding a little disapproving and causing Toni to lift an annoyed eyebrow, “I don’t think our mother is going to—"

“Cheryl!” a shrill voice yelled suddenly, and Toni almost winced at the sound. Surprisingly, Cheryl looked unfazed.

“Great,” the redhead muttered, looking back at Toni, who stood up—not wanting to be caught sitting on Cheryl’s bed, “my hideous mother is coming to join the conversation.”

”Cheryl,” Jason said, his tone scolding. Suddenly, an older redheaded woman was standing next to Jason in the doorway. She was wearing a scowl on her face, and her hands were planted firmly on her hips. Toni felt herself stiffen at the arrival of the clearly pissed off woman.

“Cheryl, what is that _death trap motorcycle_ doing in _my_ driveway?”

“It’s my friend’s,” Cheryl answered.

“Friend?” Penelope demanded.

Cheryl stepped aside so Penelope could see Toni, who just glared at Cheryl’s mom as their gazes met for a half a second. “See? No big deal. Now leave me alone.”

“What makes you think you can bring this sort of _trash_ into this home?” Penelope demanded, ignoring Toni and looking back at Cheryl harshly. Toni felt anger building inside of her—she knew that lots of people on the Northside felt the way Penelope Blossom did about Southsiders, but she had to admit, she’d never heard someone say it so plainly or harshly before. “And _what_ are you wearing?”

“Clothes,” Cheryl said plainly, stepping closer to her mother, “and Toni is _no_ sort of trash, Mumsie.” Toni felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Cheryl defend her to her mother. “So, if you’d kindly move your hideous, hateful self out of my bedroom, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“You ungrateful child,” Penelope seethed, “I have let too many things slide recently, and now you are becoming a rotten disgrace on the Blossom name! Just wait until your father hears about this, Cheryl!”

“Oh, I’m on the edge of my seat,” Cheryl answered sarcastically. “Toodle loo, mother!”

“Cheryl Marjorie—”

Cheryl slammed her bedroom door before her mother could finish whatever she was going to say and locked it pointedly. They could hear both Jason and Penelope leaving, and Toni though she heard Penelope grumbling still. After a moment, Cheryl turned around to face Toni. “Shit,” Toni said, “that was…”

“Intense? Ridiculous?”

Toni tilted her head a little, looking at the beautiful girl who had just defended her. “I was going to say badass—talking about you, of course. Your mother seems like a nightmare.”

“Oh, she is. She’s absolutely horrid. Sorry you had to meet Jason that way, though. He’s actually… decent, but as my mother’s favorite, he can sometimes be a bit… rude. When under her influence, I mean.”

Toni laughed a little, sitting back down on the edge of Cheryl’s bed. “You say that like she possesses him.”

“That’s what it used to seem like when I was a kid,” Cheryl admitted, her voice solemn, “because she would treat him _so amazingly_ , but me like I was worth nothing. And often, it was like he didn’t even notice. I couldn’t understand that. I think that’s always been the root of the problem between us. Even if it was Heather who finally drove the wedge in, it was already there anyway.”

Toni nodded slowly, hating the image of young Cheryl being mistreated by her mother. “That’s rough. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Cheryl came and sat next to Toni again. “I’m sorry you had to face all that.”

“Eh. I’ve been through similar shit. And I think you handled it great. I don’t know why Heather ever called you weak or whatever. You’re clearly not.”

Cheryl let out a slow breath before saying, “Heather brought out the worst in me. The ugly.”

Toni lifted her hand up to rest on Cheryl’s cheek gently. “ _Nothing_ about you is ugly.”

Not a second later, Cheryl’s lips were back on Toni’s. She was leaning into Toni fully, who could barely keep herself in a sitting position as she kissed Cheryl back fervently. Then she allowed herself to tumble over, laughing a little as Cheryl pressed her lips back to Toni’s in an instance.

Toni’s hands wrapped around the other girl, pulling Cheryl somewhat on top of her. Cheryl was propped up on one arm, and suddenly her hand was slipping under Toni’s Serpent jacket, pushing it off. Toni was beyond turned on, her skin craving Cheryl’s touch and more, and so she happily shed her jacket—after some fumbling and laughing from both of them. Cheryl, still on top of Toni, pressed her tongue into Toni’s mouth, deepening their kiss.

Toni moaned, her hands landing on Cheryl’s exposed waist and up underneath the mesh shirt, coming to the edges of Cheryl’s bra. Cheryl’s skin was hot to her touch, and Toni knew hers must be, too. Cheryl was pressing her body further into Toni’s, and their chests pressing closely against each other got a moan out of Toni. Toni couldn’t resist wrapping her hands around Cheryl’s body, to her lower back and then down to her ass. She became lightheaded a little as she squeezed it, getting absolutely drunk on Cheryl.

But the redhead pulled their lips apart in order for them to both get a gasp of air, and their eyes met. “Damn, Red,” Toni murmured, “you don’t waste any time.”

Cheryl laughed quietly, and then whispered, “We probably… we wouldn’t…”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, knowing that they had only even admitted that they liked each other three days ago, even if it had been building a lot longer than that. “We should probably waste a little more time, first.”

“Probably,” Cheryl agreed with a smile. She bit down on her lower lip for a second, and Toni felt wetness pooling between her legs. “But I can still kiss you.”

“Yeah, I’d definitely like some more of that,” Toni murmured, and she reached up to pull Cheryl’s face down to hers. She sucked Cheryl’s lower lip into her mouth, the girl letting out a little noise of pleasure. Toni gripped Cheryl’s ass firmly, and then used her core strength to push herself upward, and then slipped one of her hands to Cheryl’s front in order to push her down onto the bed, effectively flipping them over.

Cheryl looked up at her with dark, surprised eyes, and Toni just dove down to her lips again.

It was a while later that they finally stopped making out, and were just laying on Cheryl’s bed, their hands clasped together. Cheryl’s eyes were trained on the ceiling, but Toni was staring at her. “Hey,” she whispered, suddenly, drawing Cheryl’s curious gaze. “I’m glad that we… that we are opening up to each other and stuff.”

Cheryl smiled at her softly, and Toni felt her heart melt.

“And I’m sorry that you have such a shitty relationship with your family. You know that I know what that’s like, and I wish you didn’t have to deal with that, too. I just want you to know…” Toni took in a breath. “You’re not alone anymore, Cheryl. If you feel lonely… text me, call me… I don’t want you to feel alone.”

Cheryl wasn’t smiling anymore, but she didn’t look upset either. She rolled onto her side, her eyes full of a vulnerability that, a few weeks ago, Toni was sure Cheryl never would’ve let her see. “I don’t ever feel alone when I’m with you… or even when I’m texting you.”

“Good,” Toni whispered.

Cheryl’s hand came to Toni’s hair, brushing some of it aside. “Thank you, Toni.” Toni smiled, and then she suddenly remembered that she had to be at work at four.

“Um, do we know what time it is?” she asked anxiously, and Cheryl sat up, looking around for her phone for a second before grabbing it.

“Three thirty.”

“Shit, I gotta go,” Toni said, “work.”

“Oh, that’s right, I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay. Trust me… I don’t regret any amount of time I’ve been here today, Cheryl.” She smiled softly at the redhead, who blushed.

“Good. Me neither.”

“I’ll talk to you later?”

“Of course. I should probably walk you out, though, in case Mother Dearest happens to cross your path.”

After Toni threw her jacket back on and grabbed her phone and keys, she and Cheryl walked out of the redhead’s room and down and out of the gigantic house.

“Have a good night at work, Toni,” Cheryl said with a smile.

Toni returned the smile, her heart skipping a beat. “Thanks. Talk to you later, Red.”

And with that, she got on her motorcycle and drove toward the Southside, feeling a little too upset about having to leave the beautiful Northsider who was absolutely taking over her every thought. Toni, though, wasn’t even sure she minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now I swear that I'll be going back to my update schedule. So expect the next update on Thursday! Like, actually this time! I need to keep myself from updating every day because if I do then I'll end up posting everything all at once and as much as I know you all might like that, then I would have to have a long hiatus while I work on something else, and I don't like that, soooo y'all gotta deal with it haha. Plus, I should also like, focus on school or something maybe?
> 
> Thank you all for being here, I appreciate it so much. I hope you all are having a good week <3


	15. we'll take the good stuff, honey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cheryl has a surprising conversation with her friends, Toni finds herself taking an unexpected trip to the Northside on Friday night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon everyone!
> 
> I hope you're all down with a long chapter! This chapter is all of 17 and 18 of What A Time, which is why it's so long, unfortunately there's only a few new moments in this one. But this range of chapters in What A Time are very important so it's okay. Next chapter is I think over 10,000 words for chapter 19 and 20 of What A Time, so yeah, long and important! :P
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy!x

Over the next few days, Toni didn’t get to see much of Cheryl, although she supposed that was to be expected during the weekdays. Cheryl had Vixens practice every day, and Toni had a mix of homework, Serpent duties, and sometimes work. This particular week, it was mostly Serpent duties, the high school aged Serpents getting called in to deal with some high school aged Ghoulies. It was the typical way the Serpents handled young Ghoulies, because if cops had to get involved, it made things easier if everyone involved was around the same age.

She didn’t tell Cheryl about the situation, though, which had been on Tuesday after school. It had involved a parking lot and quite a few punches, which Toni thankfully mostly only dealt, aside from one that landed on her waist. It didn’t leave too bad of a bruise.

It was a juvenile turf war that started the fight, the Ghoulies trying to stake claim up the road from Southside High, which was definitively within Serpent land. Fortunately, at the end of the battle, the land was still very much part of Serpent territory—no surprise, there. The Ghoulies had been floundering for a while now.

Later Tuesday night, Toni actually had gone on a walk around the trailer park, walking off the discomfort from the bruise on her waist, while talking on the phone with Cheryl. It was easy to not mention the Ghoulies, because Cheryl seemed preoccupied with adjusting to this new version of her life, where she allegedly hated pretty much everyone at Riverdale High and spent her time wishing she could be anywhere else.

Toni understood that as Cheryl missing her, though, so she didn’t mind listening to the girl talk about it.

She did try to encourage Cheryl to open up to Veronica’s friends, since to Toni, it was obvious that they did care about Cheryl. Toni didn’t want Cheryl to keep feeling so alone, and she didn’t want to be the only one that Cheryl knew had her back.

Besides their phone call on Tuesday, they talked on the phone again Wednesday, too, and, of course, texted throughout each day. On Thursday at school, though, Toni got a peculiar text from the redhead.

**Cheryl – I’ve somehow gotten myself into a situation. I’m supposed to meet Betty and Veronica after Vixens practice today to tell them what happened with me and Heather.**

She was immediately intrigued, wondering if Cheryl would open up to her two fellow Vixens, one of which she didn’t consider a friend.

**Toni – Oh yeah? What are you planning on saying?**

**Cheryl – I don’t know! I could stretch the truth and just leave out the part about the fact that I liked her, but I don’t know how I’d do that. I mean, I could figure it out, but. Maybe it’s not worth it.**

Toni took in a deep breath, knowing that she needed to reassure Cheryl.

**Toni – Everyone coming out has to start somewhere. And if it makes you feel better, remember that you’ve already started it. Sweet Pea knows, and trust me, if anyone at Riverdale High is an asshole to you when you come out, I’m sure he will gather a Serpent army to come to your rescue. I’d help him of course. Not that I think you need it, but. We have your back, that’s what I’m trying to say.**

**Cheryl – So you think I should tell them?**

**Toni – I think they’re probably the best people to tell next, yeah. If you’re not comfortable with doing it, though, you don’t have to. You never have to do anything you’re not ready to do. Especially when it’s coming out.**

**Cheryl – Thanks… I think I’ll tell them. You’re right.**

**Toni – You’re welcome—you’ll have to think of a way to repay me for my excellent advice.**

Toni bit down on her lower lip, wishing she wasn’t in class right now.

**Cheryl – I’m sure I’ll think of a way.**

**Cheryl – When do you work this weekend?**

**Toni – Saturday and Sunday night.**

**Cheryl – Do you have Serpent rounds this weekend?**

Toni lifted an eyebrow, not sure when she had mentioned rounds to the Northsider.

**Toni – No… how do you know about rounds?**

**Cheryl – You and Sweet Pea have mentioned them before. I asked him about them last weekend. Anyway, so that means you’re free other than when you’re working?**

**Toni – Yep! When are you free?**

**Cheryl – Pretty much whenever. So, I guess I can see you tomorrow night?**

**Toni – I’m all yours. ;)**

When school let out later, Toni immediately sought her best friend, curious about how much he had been talking to Cheryl. She found him headed out of the school. “Hey, Sweets,” she called, getting his attention. “So. You and Cheryl have been texting or something?”

He shrugged. “I texted her on Sunday asking if you had been at her place, because I hadn’t seen you all day since you left for rounds.”

“Oh,” Toni said in understanding. She had had rounds on Sunday before she went to Thornhill, but they had been uneventful, so she had gone straight to Cheryl’s afterward.

“Why?”

“She mentioned that she asked you about rounds,” Toni answered, as they left the school. “I was just surprised.”

“I think we’re friends,” Sweet Pea told Toni proudly, “she’s nice, and she really likes you, you know? Don’t let this one go.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I don’t plan to, don’t worry.”

Sweet Pea gave her a funny look. “It is cool that we’re friends, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Toni answered, “it’s not like I’m worried about you getting in the way, you’re not exactly Cheryl’s type.” Sweet Pea snickered. “So, unless you’re still harboring a childhood fantasy crush on me, then I think we’re good.”

Sweet Pea cringed. “I hate it when you bring that up.” Toni grinned at her friend. “I guess you and Cheryl haven’t made things official yet, huh?”

“Um, no. I don’t think she’s there yet.”

“But things are good? No more miscommunications?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Toni answered with a little laugh. “Hey, thanks for being so supportive, dude. Of me and Cheryl. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. You headed to Sunnyside?”

“Yep, not much to do today, thankfully.”

“Guess I’ll see you back there then.”

Toni gave her friend a nod, and they parted ways to get to their motorcycles.

After a few hours had passed of Toni doing homework in Sweet Pea’s trailer—while Vic made dinner and Noah was trying to finish some homework of his own—that Toni’s phone buzzed with a text from Cheryl. Toni had been trying not to pay attention to the time, because she was anxious to know how Cheryl’s conversation with Betty and Veronica had gone.

The text was not especially descriptive, though.

**Cheryl – Are you busy?**

**Toni – Not really, did you talk to Veronica and Betty?**

**Cheryl – Yeah, it went fine, but I don’t wanna go home.**

**Toni – Okay. Uh, Sweet Pea’s trailer is kinda busy right now, his dad is home and they’re making dinner and stuff. Do you wanna meet behind the Wyrm?**

**Cheryl – Yeah, okay :) I’ll be there in a bit.**

So, Toni put away her homework, excused herself from the trailer without much explanation, and hopped on her motorcycle, heading to the White Wyrm. She made it to their little spot, settled onto her usual crate, before Cheryl and pulled her joint and lighter out of her pockets, lighting it and taking a hit.

She heard movement from the alley and sat up a little straighter. Cheryl ducked through the hole and Toni looked up to meet her gaze. “Hey! How’d it go with Betty and Veronica?”

“Good,” Cheryl answered, sitting down on the other crate, which creaked a little. “They’re both on my side about it, obviously. They honestly didn’t even seem that surprised that I’m gay either.”

Toni tilted her head a little, wondering why Cheryl hadn’t felt comfortable going home if everything had gone fine. “That’s good. So why didn’t you wanna go home? Is something wrong?”

Cheryl shook her head, which relaxed Toni a little bit. “No. Just… after I came out and talked about how I was hanging out on the Southside… Betty put two and two together. She asked about, um, you.”

Toni raised an eyebrow, her heart rate spiking a little bit. She wasn’t sure what Cheryl thought about that, so she tried not to react one way or the other. “Oh yeah?” Cheryl nodded. “Did that… upset you?”

“No,” Cheryl answered, and Toni breathed out a silent sigh of relief. She was finding it difficult to read Cheryl today. “But Veronica invited you to come to Reggie’s party tomorrow night.”

Toni thought about going to a Northside party and tried not to grimace. “And… that upset you?”

“Well, not the invite… but I’m just worried about if we went together… Heather will undoubtedly see us. I’m not sure I’m ready for another confrontation with her…”

Toni breathed out slowly, trying to figure out what the right thing to say was. “You don’t want to go? Or you don’t want me to go with you?”

“I don’t want to go,” Cheryl clarified. “But…”

Toni didn’t even try to guess at this point. “What?”

“Maybe we should. Veronica said that the other Vixens are starting to side with Heather, they don’t know what’s going on. Maybe going out could be a good idea. If nothing happens with Heather, then the Vixens will at least see that there’s no reason to pick sides. If some kind of confrontation does happen…”

“Then maybe they’ll realize she’s a manipulative bitch?” Toni asked without thinking.

Cheryl laughed quietly. “Yeah…”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re right, she is. Anyway. If you don’t want to go, we won’t go. But… I think I would like it if you were there.”

“Then I’ll be there,” Toni said firmly, before taking another hit from her joint. Yeah, she didn’t really want to go to a Northside party, but she didn’t mind hanging out with Cheryl by any means. And if Cheryl was ready to be more open about her sexuality, Toni wanted to support her, of course. “Should be fun. You want a hit?”

Cheryl took the joint from Toni and immediately took a hit from it. Toni watched as her lips closed around the end of the joint, and she tried not to feel too aroused by the image. After blowing out the smoke, Cheryl took a second hit, and Toni heard herself laugh a little.

“You good?”

Cheryl nodded, and then returned the joint back to Toni as she blew more smoke through her lips. Toni was about to make fun of Cheryl for liking to smoke weed despite being so insistent about how bad smoking was for you—which Toni could acknowledge was true. Before she could say anything though, the crate Cheryl was sitting on suddenly creaked as the wood splintered, and it fell apart in pieces below the redhead, causing her to fall right onto her ass.

“Holy shit!” Toni exclaimed, unable to control her laughter. “What the fuck?”

“Oh my god!” Cheryl exclaimed, horror in her expression. “Ow! What the—” Toni was laughing so hard that tears were filling her eyes. Cheryl’s gaze narrowed into a glare. “It’s not funny!”

“Oh my—” Toni sucked in a breath. “Are you okay?” She was still laughing.

“No!” Cheryl snapped, although a laugh bubbled out of her after the word came out. She stood herself up and wiped sawdust off of her ass, and Toni took in another breath, her laughter dying out.

“Are you okay?” she repeated, more seriously.

“Yeah,” Cheryl answered with a light laugh. “How come my crate had to break?”

Not wanting to point out that Toni was a bit smaller than Cheryl, she just grinned and said, “I guess mine’s just sturdier. C’mon, you wanna share it with me?” Toni put out her joint and put it away, and then waited expectantly for Cheryl to join her on the seat. Cheryl was looking at her in confusion, so Toni patted her lap.

Cheryl hesitated, but then she carefully straddled Toni’s lap, sitting down slowly. Their faces were just inches apart, and Toni’s breath hitched in her throat. “Is that better?”

“You’re so tiny,” Cheryl whispered, “are you sure I’m not crushing you?”

“I’m fine,” Toni insisted with an eyeroll.

“Are you sure you’re okay with going to the party tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Toni insisted, realizing that this was stressing the girl out more than she’d realized, which actually explained why Cheryl had been so unreadable and not wanting to go home. “And I can’t wait for the weed to calm you down. Stop stressing about it.” She rested her hands gently on Cheryl’s shoulders as the girl laughed lightly.

“Sorry… maybe I’m more worried about it than I thought.”

“It’s going to be okay, alright?”

Cheryl nodded, and then pressed her lips softly to Toni’s, wrapping her arms around the smaller girl’s waist. Toni sighed into the kiss, sucking Cheryl’s bottom lip into her mouth. She didn’t notice the crate creaking beneath her until it gave out beneath them, and they both fell onto the ground with a pair of shrieks.

“Oh my god!” Toni exclaimed, discomfort shooting through her legs as she sat in a pile of broken wood, Cheryl on top of her.

Cheryl quickly rolled off of her, coughing from the sawdust in the air, and leaned against the wall. “Now you know how it feels,” Cheryl insisted with a little laugh.

“You were on _top_ of me, though!” Toni insisted.

“And who’s fault is that?” Cheryl asked with a raised eyebrow. Toni laughed and shook her head.

“I guess we’ll have to figure out a new sitting situation in here.”

“Guess so,” Cheryl agreed. Toni sat up, as she kicked away a few broken pieces of wood, and sat next to Cheryl, leaning against the wall. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Toni assured her, leaning her head onto Cheryl’s shoulder and relaxing against her, “that was just a little shocking.”

“You sure I didn’t crush you?” Cheryl teased quietly.

“I’m sure.” She rested her hand lazily on Cheryl’s leg, and her eyes fell closed. She felt Cheryl’s hand rest on hers, and a smile came to her face. This was so easy.

They sat like that for a while, until Toni realized how hungry she was, and the fact that she’d probably missed the dinner Vic had been cooking. She gently took her hand away from Cheryl and stretched her arms out.

“We should probably both get home,” Toni murmured.

Cheryl let out a quiet breath. “I know.”

When the redhead didn’t move, and Toni didn’t either, the Serpent chuckled. “C’mon, Red. You should get home, and so should I. We need to eat dinner and we both have school tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” They finally got up, and Cheryl looked around at the mess of wood on the ground. “We’re gonna have to clean this up.”

“Later,” Toni insisted, grabbing Cheryl’s hand and pulling her toward the hole, “let’s go.”

When they were back at Cheryl’s car and Toni’s motorcycle, Cheryl smiled softly at Toni and said, “I’ll see you tomorrow… at Reggie’s.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, trying not to think too deeply about the prospect of attending a Northside party. “You’ll have to send me the address.”

“I will.”

“Okay,” Toni said with a smile. “I’ll see you then.”

“Bye,” Cheryl whispered, before quickly pecking Toni’s lips. Then, the redhead got into her car as Toni hopped onto her motorcycle, pulling on her helmet. Her stomach grumbled angrily as she revved her engine, but she didn’t pull out of the lot until Cheryl had driven away. Then, it was off to figure out some food at Sweet Pea’s trailer.

* * *

Friday for Toni was spent explaining to Sweet Pea why she couldn’t hang out that night, and then defending herself from the onslaught of teasing that followed the explanation. It wasn’t every day that a Serpent, aside from Jughead of course, attended any sort of Northside event, especially not a party hosted by one of the football players from Riverdale High. But Toni was going to be supportive of Cheryl, and she had promised Cheryl that she would be there, so she would.

When she made it back to the trailer after school, she changed out of her school outfit and slipped on some fishnets, along with some torn-up jeans on top of them. She picked out her favorite dark purple tank top and, of course, topped the look off with her Serpent jacket and a few necklaces.

She was trying to mentally prepare for walking into a house full of Northsiders, who would undoubtedly notice her. She knew that Cheryl was mostly worried about Heather, but Toni wouldn’t be surprised if someone else tried to say something to her. Toni didn’t like to be underestimated, but in times like this one, she hoped people wouldn’t bat too much of an eye at her being there.

She waited for Cheryl to text her before she left for the party—she did _not_ want to show up first.

**Cheryl – Veronica and I are almost to the party.**

Toni let out a breath as she finally got up off the couch, said goodbye to Noah and Sweet Pea, and walked out of the trailer.

**Toni – I’m about to leave so I’ll probably be there a little after you.**

**Cheryl – Okay.**

The one word answer told Toni that Cheryl was worried.

**Toni – You’re stressed again, aren’t you?**

**Cheryl – Maybe.**

**Toni – Don’t worry about it, seriously. I’ve got your back. And just FYI, I’m not going to be drinking, since I’m driving my motorcycle.**

**Cheryl – That’s good, so responsible.**

Toni imagined Cheryl’s playful little smile and couldn’t help but grin.

**Toni – You know it ;)**

**Toni – Seriously, calm down. It’ll be fine. And we can leave whenever you want to. It is kinda weird thinking that you’re more nervous to go to a Northside party than me, and I’m the one who’s literally never been to one.**

Okay, maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, because Toni definitely did have her apprehensions. But Cheryl didn’t need to know that.

**Cheryl – I know, I’m overreacting.**

**Toni – Maybe, but it’s justified.**

Toni finally got on her motorcycle, pulled on her helmet, and took off. She felt her nerves settle as wind whipped through her hair and she headed toward the address she had mapped on her phone in advance. It wasn’t hard to find the Northside neighborhood, and it definitely wasn’t hard to find the house with a ton of cars out in front of it.

She parked her motorcycle at the end of the line of cars and grabbed her phone out to text Cheryl.

**Toni – Just pulled up down the street, I’ll be there in a second.**

She took in a breath when she didn’t get a response, but saw that message was read. Heading toward the right house, she gathered her confidence up and put up a wall as she opened the door. As she stepped inside, she immediately noticed Cheryl walking toward it, wearing really tight skinny jeans, a mesh crop top, and her leather jacket—making Toni’s mouth go dry instantly. She was so distracted by Cheryl right off the bat that she barely even noticed people watching her in surprise as she walked up to Cheryl.

“Hey,” Toni greeted, finally looking around the big home. It was way bigger than any place Toni had ever lived, but not nearly as huge as the Blossom mansion. It was also filled to the brim with people. “This place is… packed. But big, so.”

“Yeah,” Cheryl agreed with a little chuckle, “did you find it okay?”

“Hard to miss a house with like twenty fancy cars parked outside,” Toni teased. “Is there something I can drink around here that’s not alcohol?”

Cheryl reached for Toni’s hand, surprising the shorter girl. Toni didn’t hesitate to take it, though, and then Cheryl lead her through the house to where a table of drinks were setup. Toni grabbed a can of coke, and then she was being pulled in another direction by Cheryl, who explained, “I told Veronica, Betty, and Jughead we’d meet back up with them.” Toni just nodded, squeezing Cheryl’s hand reassuringly.

“Hey!” Veronica greeted brightly as they approached, practically beaming. “Nice to see you again, Toni.”

“You too,” Toni said, smiling. “Hey Jug, hey Betty.”

“Hey, Toni,” Jughead responded, giving Toni a funny look, “didn’t expect to see you at a Northside party.”

“Well…” Toni glanced at Cheryl, shrugging. “I came at Cheryl’s request.” She squeezed Cheryl’s hand, and then looked back at Jughead, who was glancing down at their intertwined hands. He didn’t look too fazed.

“Cool. Gotta say, it’s nothing like the Sunnyside bonfires.”

“I’ve heard of these bonfires,” Veronica said suddenly, “but I’ve never had the privilege of going to one.”

“Not sure you would really fit in there,” Jughead teased.

Betty shrugged in disagreement. “Cheryl’s seeming to do just fine lately.”

Toni glanced at Cheryl and saw the blush across her cheeks. “The thing is,” Toni offered up, “most Southsiders don’t hate Northsiders on principle, like everyone thinks. Unless, I guess, you’re talking about the football players and shit. And some Serpents are definitely weary.”

“Like Felicity,” Cheryl offered up, “I swear, she didn’t stop glaring at me at the bonfire we started.”

Toni shrugged, trying not to frown as she imagined Cheryl overthinking it that night. “She’s a bit of a hard ass,” Toni said gently. “She likes you now, though, so that’s what counts.”

“I can’t really picture Cheryl Blossom hanging out on the Southside,” Veronica admitted. “Although, I am loving this look on you. The sexy, edgy look.”

Toni couldn’t even help but smirk and say, “She was inspired by my wardrobe, apparently.”

Cheryl just rolled her eyes, not looking nearly as embarrassed as Toni had hoped. “It’s not my fault that you have good style.” Toni smiled at the compliment.

“No, it’s not.”

After a beat, Veronica asked, “You not drinking, Toni?”

“I’m driving home, so I figured better to stay away from any alcohol tonight.”

“I’m driving too,” Veronica said, “so I’m just doing one or two beers.”

Jughead looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, but you don’t live across town.” Toni nodded that he made a good point.

“Well, drinks or not, we can still have fun,” Veronica exclaimed. “Let’s go dance!” She grabbed Betty and Cheryl and started pulling them in the direction of the movement, and Toni and Jughead shared a look before chasing after the Northsiders.

Dancing was about what you’d expect from a party full of teenagers—sweaty grinding and swaying. Toni and Cheryl were mostly swaying, but Toni’s hands were resting on Cheryl’s shoulders, allowing her to notice how tense the redhead was. “You’re still tense.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Heather’s here somewhere,” Toni said, without needing to be told. Cheryl nodded. “Come on,” Toni suggested, “I know what’ll help.” She started pulling Cheryl in the direction of what she thought was the back of the house and thankfully she was right as she came to the door to the backyard. They slipped outside and saw a few people standing around the yard smoking. Toni reached into her own pocket and produced a joint and a lighter. “You want?”

Cheryl took the joint from Toni’s hand before it was even lit, and as she brought it up to her lips, Toni flicked on the lighter and brought the flame up to the end of the joint. Toni’s eyes darkened as she watched Cheryl suck on the end of joint slowly.

They passed it back and forth for a couple of minutes, until Toni noticed that Cheryl’s expression had relaxed a little, and then she asked, “Better?” Cheryl nodded, and Toni put the joint out and slipped it away. When they walked into the house, Toni was suddenly pulled toward the mass of dancing people.

“Whoa, what’s up?” she asked in surprise.

“Just… I saw Jason,” Cheryl admitted quietly.

“Ignore him,” Toni insisted, grabbing the girl’s hands. “You like dancing at these parties?” Cheryl nodded, although she wasn’t sure how genuine the answer was. “Okay, then let’s dance, Bombshell.”

Cheryl’s cheeks were flushed red as they started to dance, and Toni broke out some very embarrassing dance moves just to bring a smile to Cheryl’s face, and she was rewarded with beautiful laughter. Toni’s heart swelled every time, and she didn’t even notice the few weird looks they got from any of the other Northsiders.

That was, until, a certain voice was suddenly snapping, “Wow, this is a surprising scene.” Toni and Cheryl immediately stopped dancing, turning to face the blonde who was glaring at them. “Cheryl Blossom, hanging out with some Serpent scum.” Heather’s voice was alerted everyone around Cheryl and Toni to back away, leaving almost like a bubble around the three girls.

“Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me, Heather?” Cheryl snapped. “I was pretty sure you had no interest in talking to me anyway.”

“Yeah, well, that was before I realized the new company you’re keeping. I’ve gotta say, I thought you’d replace me with someone with more… I don’t know. Class?”

“Hey, watch who you’re talking about,” Toni snapped, seriously toning down what she _wanted_ to say to the bitch in front of her.

“Or what, you gonna cut me, bitch?”

“Don’t even talk to Toni, Heather,” Cheryl snapped, “she didn’t replace you. Why would I want anyone to take up your manipulation and the horrible way you treated me?”

“Oh, come on, little cherry… why don’t you admit what’s really going on here?” Heather demanded. “Your new outfit… your new company… what is this, Cheryl? Are you already having a midlife crisis? Looking to die young? You can’t pretend to be someone that you aren’t. We all know what a Northside princess you are. Associating with this low-life trash isn’t going to change what you were born as.”

“Shut _up_!” Cheryl exclaimed suddenly, silencing everyone around them. “Why don’t _you_ admit that you’re an asshole who manipulated me for years? Who expected me to be there for you, no matter what was going on in my life? Who couldn’t even let me have one or two things for myself? You always needed to be the center of my world, and as soon as you weren’t happy anymore, you did everything you could to hurt me! Well guess what, I’m _happy_ without you!”

“Liar,” Heather growled, “you’ll never be happy without me. I _know_ you, Cheryl. And I know that you need me, because I make you stronger, because you’re _weak_. You need me.”

“She doesn’t need you,” Toni heard herself snap before she could stop herself. “She’s not weak. She strong _without_ you. And you don’t know her. Not anymore. You lost any right to know her after you manipulated her and took advantage of her. And I swear to god, I care about her _way_ more than you ever could. So, do us all a favor, and stay the fuck away from her, alright?”

Toni was seething, and so were Cheryl and Heather. Jughead, Veronica, and Betty were all standing around them now, and Jason—who had been standing near Heather—had his jaw dropped. “You know what?” Heather asked. “I remember you, _Toni_. You were at that bonfire that I dragged Cheryl to. The only reason you two even _know_ _each other_ , is because of me. Am I wrong?” Silence. “No. If you’re the new good in her life, you can’t forget that it’s because of _me_.”

“Well, I guess that’s the only good you’ve ever done,” Toni snapped with finality.

Heather looked at Cheryl, shaking her head. “Not a replacement? She fights your battles for you, just like you always had me fight them.”

“She’s _not_ fighting it _for_ me,” Cheryl argued, “she’s backing me up. The one thing you never would’ve done for me. Now get out of our faces, you absolute _hag_.”

Heather looked pissed off, but like she wasn’t trying to seem it. “Whatever. Let’s go, Jason,” she demanded, as she spun around.

“I’m good,” he said quickly, and she gaped at him. “Sorry, H, you’re on your own.”

“Excuse me? You’re picking her side?”

“That’s my _sister_ you’re talking about! And I don’t care what drama happened between you two, you don’t get to talk to her like that.”

“You know what?” Heather asked to no one in particular. “This is what I get for associating with Blossoms. You’re all lying pieces of shit who only care about yourselves.” Heather turned to face Toni directly. “You better watch your back, Serpent. That girl was born without a caring bone in her body.” Before Toni or Cheryl could think to say anything back, Heather was storming out of the room.

Most people had already returned to partying, but those people who had continued watching the show quickly made themselves busy with dancing or getting another drink. Veronica looked between Toni and Cheryl with a frown. “You guys okay?” The two of them nodded. “Damn, I knew you were worried about that happening, Cher, but I’ve gotta admit. I didn’t think she’d go that hard.”

“Hey,” Jason said suddenly, approaching them, “I’m sorry…”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cheryl told him, and Toni deflated at how flat her voice sounded, “you don’t need to apologize for anything.”

“Well… okay. Do you want me to do anything?” Cheryl shook her head.

Betty looked at Cheryl with a frown. “Well, do you need anything from us?”

“No. I just… maybe I wanna get out of here.”

Veronica nodded supportively. “Okay, you wanna head out now?”

“Oh,” Toni interrupted quickly, feeling protective all of the sudden, “I can take her. You should stay here and enjoy the party, Veronica.”

“Alright,” Veronica said. “Well… if you need anything, Cher, just let me know.” Cheryl nodded, and then Toni reached for her hand. They left the house and Toni lead Cheryl to her motorcycle.

“Hey, are you okay?” Toni finally asked.

“I’m okay, just… I don’t know. I think I’m just overwhelmed.”

“Where do you wanna go? Home?” Cheryl shook her head. “Sunnyside? Noah is home right now… I don’t know… we could go to the park?” Cheryl shook her head. Toni was about to suggest behind the Wyrm, but then remembered the ruined crates. “Okay, well where, then?”

“Could we go to the drive-in? We can stop by Sunnyside and get those blankets and things that I never took back home?”

“Of course. Yeah, of course.”

Fifteen minutes later found them at Sunnyside, and Toni parked her bike outside Sweet Pea’s trailer. “So, I’m gonna have to stuff those blankets in a bag, and you’re gonna have to hold onto it during the drive, is that okay?” Cheryl nodded. “Alright. I’ll go grab it real quick.”

She left Cheryl there on her motorcycle as she headed into the trailer.

“Tiny!” Sweet Pea greeted—he was sitting on the couch with Fangs and Noah, the two older boys playing a game while Noah watched. No doubt he was begging to join between rounds. “Back already?”

“Just grabbing some things,” Toni answered, walking past them to where all of the extra blankets from Cheryl were stored by the couch. She grabbed one of her old messenger bags and stuffed the blankets inside. She managed to squish down another of the pillows and add it, too.

“Weird things to grab for a party,” Fangs said with a snicker.

Toni rolled her eyes, looking to Sweet Pea. “Can I grab a couple beers?”

“Sure,” Sweet Pea agreed with a shrug. “When will we see you back here?”

“Not sure,” Toni admitted. “I’ll let you know.”

“See you, Tiny,” Fangs and Sweet Pea called as Toni slung the bag over her shoulder and started out of the trailer, giving the boys a wave.

“I managed to fit one of the pillows, too,” she told Cheryl, whose eyes were trained on her as she walked back outside.

“That’s very impressive,” Cheryl said, smiling a little.

“I try,” Toni said with a wink.

Cheryl was in charge of holding the bag as Toni drove them to the Drive In, making sure to drive to the side that had a hole in the fence. She had a feeling that climbing was not high on the list of things Cheryl wanted to do tonight.

When they got into the Drive In, Cheryl made a beeline for the truck they’d sat in before, and Toni smiled a little before slipping over to the projection box. She took a couple minutes to change the film, and then powered on the projector. When it started, she smiled proudly and left the box, heading for the truck, where Cheryl was looking back at her.

“Beers?” she asked, apparently having emptied the bag already.

“I figured you hadn’t had enough to drink at the party,” Toni said with a joking smile. “Sweet Pea was in the trailer, he said we could take them. I thought you’d maybe want something to drink after tonight.”

The smile on Cheryl’s face made Toni’s heart skip a beat. “Thanks, Toni.”

“Yeah, no problem.” She climbed up onto the truck, seeing the pillow nicely leaning against the back windows of the truck, and a blanket spread around the truck bed. “I love what you’ve done with the place.”

That got a laugh from Cheryl. “Thanks. I guess I have good interior design skills?”

“Definitely.”

They sat down on the blanket, spreading the second atop their laps. Cheryl popped open a beer and took a sip, and then she scooted close to Toni. The sides of their bodies were entirely touching, and Toni leaned her head on Cheryl a little bit.

After Toni had been staring at the silent movie for a few moments, she finally asked, “Do you wanna talk about what happened?”

“Yeah,” Cheryl admitted, “we should.”

“You still feeling overwhelmed?”

Cheryl shrugged, her body scooting down so that her head could lean on Toni’s shoulder. Toni felt her heart race at the adorable adjustment. “Not as much, no. This is really… peaceful.” Toni smiled, resting a hand on Cheryl’s leg. She rubbed her thumb calmingly on it and waited for Cheryl to talk more about it—if she wanted to. She didn’t want to push. “I’m not surprised she approached us. But… it actually went better than I expected. I defended myself, all my… my friends were there. Even Jason didn’t side with her… And you, Toni.” Cheryl sat back up suddenly, her eyes open and boring into Toni, who felt weak all of the sudden. “No one has ever stood up for me like that. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” Toni whispered with a smile. “You deserve it, Cheryl. You deserve to have someone standing up for you like that. Not that you need someone to do it. She’s wrong, you know. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes, although Toni saw the glint of tears in them. “How can that be true? I have it so much easier than pretty much everyone you grew up knowing.”

“It’s not about that,” Toni insisted. “Come on, would I lie to you?” Cheryl lifted an eyebrow, and Toni thought about the weekend she had ghosted Cheryl. “Okay, I know I don’t have the _best_ track record, but that was only once. Would I lie to you _now_?”

“No.”

Toni smiled. “That’s right.” Cheryl’s red lips spread into a smile, and she lifted the beer bottle and took a long drink from it. She then set it down next to her on the truck bed, and looked back at Toni, who realized she’d been staring at her. “You’re beautiful.”

Cheryl stared back at Toni. “Thank you.” After a brief moment of silence, one of Cheryl’s soft hands lifted and touch Toni’s cheek softly, surprising the Serpent. “Where did you come from? How did I get lucky enough to meet you?”

Toni chuckled a little. “I don’t think that’s what you were thinking when you did meet me.” She thought about that night at the Wyrm fondly, considering everything that had happened afterward.

Cheryl laughed softly. “No, it wasn’t.”

“And by the way, for the record… if you want me to send any Serpents to scare Heather…” She grinned at Cheryl, who shook her head in amusement before leaning closer to Toni and joining their lips in a soft kiss.

Toni leaned into the Northsider’s touch, pressing her tongue to Cheryl’s lips and reveling in the kiss as Cheryl let her press through them. Cheryl’s hands slid down to Toni’s midsection, slipping underneath her shirt. Toni rubbed her thumbs against the mesh fabric of Cheryl’s crop top, moaning a little and trying to murmur how sexy Cheryl looked in it. Cheryl pulled away slightly and asked, “Huh?”

“Did I tell you how sexy you look in that outfit?”

Cheryl moaned, grabbing the front of Toni’s jacket and pulling her closer, their lips connecting again. She pulled Toni a little on top of her, and Toni couldn’t help it as her hands palmed Cheryl’s breasts over the mesh top and the black bra Cheryl wore. Cheryl moaned a little, grabbing Toni’s hands and directing them underneath the mesh.

“God, Cheryl,” Toni moaned, as she squeezed Cheryl’s boobs over the bra. Cheryl pulled her mouth back against hers, and their lips and hands continued to explore each other’s bodies. Toni was absolutely intoxicated by Cheryl’s touch, and by touching Cheryl, and when she finally fully straddled Cheryl, the truck bed shook a little. She heard the beer bottle fall over more than she felt it, but she couldn’t say the same for Cheryl, who was immediately squealing and sitting up quickly, “Oh my god!” Toni fell off of Cheryl on her ass. “I’m covered in beer!”

“Shit, I forgot that was there,” Toni said apologetically. “Damn. We can’t even just clean this up, I don’t have anything we can use…”

Cheryl sighed. “Yeah… I need to shower.”

“So… I guess it’s back to Thornhill?” Toni asked, trying not to sound as disappointed as she was. She was becoming addicted to Cheryl. She needed her, and when she couldn’t have her, it was agonizing.

“We can just leave this stuff here,” Cheryl said, after nodding yes to Toni’s question, “and come clean it up later or something. It’s going to be a pain to take it all back, too.”

“I have a feeling that you’re never getting these blankets back,” Toni said with a chuckle, knowing that Cheryl and the Blossoms were probably not missing them. Toni grabbed her bag and tossed the one unopened beer back into it. “Come on, Bombshell. Let’s get you home.”

Toni felt Cheryl shivering a lot on their ride to Thornhill, and Toni felt bad that Cheryl’s clothes were soaked. She tried not to feel too bad for herself on top of that—she could hang out with Cheryl another time.

When Toni pulled the bike to a stop in front of the giant mansion, Cheryl climbed off and unclipped the spare helmet. Toni smiled a little at her, once again trying to cover her disappointment as she asked, “Well… I guess we have to call it a night now?”

Cheryl frowned at that, though, and then her expression twisted into something almost like a silent plea. She then voiced that plea, “Come inside?”

“Are you sure?” Toni asked, genuinely surprised at the request.

“Please?”

How could Toni say not to the beautiful girl standing in front of her, looking at her with those big, brown eyes? She turned off the motorcycle and climbed off. They put the two helmets on the bike, and Cheryl lead Toni inside. “No one seems to be home,” she announced, and Toni released a silent sigh of relief. “So, no one will barge in, I promise.”

Toni smirked a little at how that sounded. “That’s good.”

Cheryl grabbed Toni’s hand firmly, and Toni’s heart skipped a beat at the soft touch of Cheryl’s hand. The Northsider pulled her upstairs and along the confusing path to Cheryl’s bedroom. When they reached there, Toni set down the bag on the bed, which she’d brought inside as well, and sat on the red comforter as well. “Are you going to be okay to wait out here while I shower?” Cheryl wondered.

“Of course,” Toni answered, doubting that the question was an invitation to join Cheryl, although there was really no other alternative option. Cheryl’s expression was genuinely innocent, though, so Toni knew it was just a formality. “Is it okay if I have this beer?”

Cheryl smiled and nodded, and then started to gather some clothes and a towel as Toni slipped off her shoes and pulled the beer out of the bag. “I’ll be out soon,” Cheryl said softly, before finally disappearing into the bathroom.

Toni relaxed back onto Cheryl’s bed, leaning against the pillows, and went on her phone. She was trying to find anything to distract her from the fact that Cheryl was completely naked behind a wall and maybe a curtain. She wondered if Cheryl hummed in the shower. She couldn’t stop picturing Cheryl humming in the shower, soaping herself up…

Toni rewarded herself with some beer every time she forced herself to not think about Cheryl showering naked, which resulted in her only drinking about half of the bottle. Her phone distractions turned out to be just scrolling through her Instagram feed and briefly texting Sweet Pea a concise update about what had happened at the party:

**Sweet Pea – So I assume you left the party early with Cheryl? Where’d you guys go off to?**

**Toni – We went to the Drive-In. Cheryl needed to decompress. Heather made an appearance and kinda attacked us.**

**Sweet Pea – Shit. Do I need to beat her up?**

**Toni – As much as I would really love to watch that, and help you to be honest, I’m not sure Cheryl would appreciate the gesture as much.**

**Sweet Pea – Fine. But I would do it for you guys, you know. No one insults my best friend or her girlfriend!**

**Toni – As much as I appreciate that, we aren’t girlfriends yet.**

**Sweet Pea – You should probably get on that.**

**Toni – Shut up.**

When the shower turned off, Toni found herself glancing at the bathroom door every minute or so, waiting for Cheryl to emerge. When she finally did, Toni’s breath caught in her throat. Cheryl’s hair was still wet, hanging loosely around her, and she wore a simple tank top and shorts, exposing her pale legs and strong arms. She looked so beautiful.

“All clean?” Toni asked, smiling a little and hoping that it wasn’t obvious that she was checking the girl out.

“All clean,” Cheryl confirmed, sitting on the bed next to where Toni was laying. “What are you up to?”

“You know,” Toni said with a joking tone, “organizing all the Serpents to go storm Heather’s house tomorrow.” She locked her phone and set it purposefully on Cheryl’s nightstand. “How are you doing now? I know showers can make people feel all… reflective and shit.”

Cheryl took in a deep breath. “Honestly… I’m feeling… sufficiently distracted.” Cheryl’s eyes were suddenly raking over Toni, and she leaned a little closer to her. “I don’t think _I_ told _you_ how _hot_ you look tonight…”

Toni lifted an eyebrow, surprised at the sudden shift, but before she could question it or say anything at all, Cheryl brought their lips together. Toni had no problem kissing her back, tangling her fingers into damp, red hair. She brought one hand down to Cheryl’s hip and pulled the redhead onto her lap as much as she could at her current angle. She then ventured her hand underneath Cheryl’s tank top, and she reveled in the pleased hum that Cheryl let out she padded her fingers nearer to Cheryl’s boobs. “Is this okay?” she murmured against Cheryl’s lips.

“Yes,” the girl whispered back, giving Toni the answer that she needed to fully grasp at Cheryl’s boob with her hand. She lowered her other hand and shoved it up Cheryl’s shirt as well, palming both of Cheryl’s boobs, skin to skin. Cheryl moaned a little, and her hand slipped around to Toni’s lower back. Toni saw her opportunity to swap their positions, and she dragged her hands, still underneath Cheryl’s shirt, around to Cheryl’s back. Then, in a swift movement, she rolled them over.

When she looked down at Cheryl for a split second, the redhead looked surprised at the sudden change. Toni moaned a little as she dived down to press their lips back together. Against Cheryl’s plump lips, she murmured, “God, Cheryl, you’re so fucking sexy.”

Cheryl moaned deeply, her hips bucking a little. Her hands were suddenly pushing off Toni’s jacket, so Toni sat up and pulled it off in a matter of seconds. She was about to go back to kissing those delicious lips, but then Toni realized that Cheryl was staring up at her.

“What are you staring at?”

“You,” Cheryl answered obviously, bringing a smile to Toni’s lips. “Now come kiss me.”

Toni obeyed, bringing their lips back together. Cheryl ventured her hands beneath Toni’s top, feeling around her boobs, and Toni slipped her thigh between Cheryl’s, getting a gasp from the girl beneath her.

Toni felt frantic as she peeled Cheryl’s shirt off, but time stopped when she saw Cheryl laying there, topless, in front of her. She felt like she stared at the beauty that was Cheryl Blossom for many long moments, but since Cheryl didn’t seem to question it, it was probably more like a few seconds. She then lowered her lips and began to press appreciative kisses to Cheryl’s full boobs. Her hands felt Cheryl’s firm abs as her tongue playing with Cheryl’s nipples.

Suddenly, Cheryl was grabbing at Toni’s shirt, pulling it so that it was bunched around Toni’s chest. Toni chuckled at the attempt, and sat up to pull off her shirt, followed by her bralette, evening the playing field.

Cheryl sighed when she saw Toni’s exposed upper body, and Toni tilted her head a little. “You’re… flawless, Toni.”

Toni laughed again, feeling warmth come to her cheeks. She ran her fingers through Cheryl’s damp hair distractedly as she said, “You don’t believe that.” Toni knew that her skin had scars on it, from playing rough as a kid and being in a gang. Her body might be shaped nicely, but it wasn’t nearly as perfect as Cheryl’s.

“I do.”

“How?” Toni wondered. “You’ve witnessed multiple of my flaws.”

“They only make you more… perfect.”

Toni knew she was blushing, and she bit down on her lower lip to hold back the grin that wanted to appear. “You trying to smooth talk me, Bombshell?”

Cheryl smiled coyly up at her. “Is it working?”

“Definitely,” Toni murmured, dragging her thumbs softly over Cheryl’s exposed stomach. She thought about their position and thought about going further with Cheryl. She wanted to have sex with Cheryl, _god_ she’d wanted to for so long. But this didn’t feel right. Cheryl had had an emotional evening, and they didn’t even know how long they would be alone in the house for. And she wanted her first time with Cheryl to be perfect.

She didn’t even realize that she’d sighed until Cheryl asked, “But?”

Toni met Cheryl’s gaze. “I… don’t want us to go too fast. This is all new to you… and a really like you, Cheryl. I don’t… I don’t want to fuck this up.” Cheryl nodded, and she didn’t seem to disagree. Trying to be responsible, Toni said, “So… maybe I should go.”

Cheryl frowned at that. “You had a beer.”

“Just one,” Toni insisted, “I’ll be okay.” She started to climb off of Cheryl, but the Northsider quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“Wait,” she whispered desperately, “please stay?”

Toni met her eyes again and found Cheryl surprisingly easy to read all of the sudden. It was obvious that Cheryl was still hurting from earlier, and she needed company. And she wanted Toni to be here, just as much as Toni wanted to be here. “Are you sure?” she asked anyway. Cheryl nodded. “Okay,” Toni said with a smile. “But that means we need to eat something, because I haven’t had dinner, and I doubt you have either.”

The look that appeared on Cheryl’s face was one of pure joy, and Toni felt her heart warm. “Well, then let’s get dressed and order some pizza?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They got out of bed and pulled their shirts back on—Toni skipped the bralette—and Toni caught Cheryl staring at her more than a few times.

“What?” Toni finally asked.

“Sorry,” Cheryl apologized, although she didn’t sound apologetic, “you’re just really beautiful, Toni.”

God, Cheryl was going to _kill_ her.

Cheryl ordered them some pizza, and as they waited for it to arrive, they discussed their thoughts on strange pizza toppings. Cheryl was the pickier one, no surprise. Toni would eat anything on pizza. Literally anything.

It was late when they got the pizza and holed up in Cheryl’s room eating it. Cheryl asked Toni about her art class, and Toni found herself talking for quite a few minutes about the unit they were about to move on to, following photography. She asked Cheryl how school was, and how cheerleading was going. It was easy conversation. Surprisingly easy.

When they finished eating, they pushed the empty pizza box onto the floor and laid across Cheryl’s bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Thanks for the pizza,” Toni said.

Cheryl laughed. “You don’t have to thank me. Thanks for keeping me company… and for agreeing to stay tonight.” Toni rolled onto her side, propping her head up on her arm as she stared at Cheryl. “What?”

“Are you still doing okay?”

Cheryl nodded. “I’m… better than okay. I’m happy, Toni.” Her lips spread into a smile. “We made it through tonight, and I’m happy that it’s over with.”

“But… everything with Heather isn’t over with? Is it?”

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Cheryl asked, chuckling. “No, I’m sure it’s not, but…”

“But?”

Cheryl propped herself up too, facing Toni directly. “ _But_ I don’t care right now. Not when you’re here with me. You… make me feel safe, Toni.”

Toni felt warmth in her chest at the admission, and then an amusing thought popped into her head. Teasingly, she asked, “Me, a Serpent, making you feel safe?” Cheryl rolled her eyes, and then she pressed her lips to Toni’s. Toni smiled into the kiss, climbing on top of Cheryl and pushing her down into the bed.

They made out like that for a while, before a breath for air turned into a yawn from Cheryl, and Toni laughed before saying that they should go to bed.

Cheryl had a few extra packaged toothbrushes under her sink, so she gave one to Toni to use as they readied themselves for bed. She also gave Toni a tank top and shorts similar to what Cheryl was wearing.

They found themselves curling up in Cheryl’s bed, Toni purposefully spooning the redhead and wrapping her arms protectively around her.

Before they drifted off, Cheryl whispered, “Toni?”

“Yeah?” Toni asked quietly.

“Thank you for tonight. Really.”

“You’re welcome, Cheryl, but you really don’t need to thank me, okay?”

“Mm. Okay.”

“Goodnight, Cheryl.”

“Sleep well, Toni.”

As Toni drifted off to sleep in the giant, soft bed, curled up with Cheryl Blossom, she was pretty sure she was about to have the best damn sleep of her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I have class in like less than 10 minutes ahh!  
> I very much appreciate all of your guys' sweet comments on this story, along with tweets and DMs! <3 I had a rough weekend and start to the week, and things are starting to look up now (even though there was just a downpour for the last 20 minutes... it already stopped, but it's supposed to be rainy all through the weekend! We're used to that here, though. Lol)
> 
> Don't forget if you want to chat on Twitter, you can follow me @ToriWrtsStories :D Thank you all again, and I will see you on Saturday with chapter 16! <3


	16. i wanted it forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are still changing in Cheryl's life, and Toni is trying to help her through it while also opening up to her some more about her own life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon everyone!
> 
> Time for a massive chapter! This chapter goes along with 19 and 20 of What A Time! We've got some new moments of all kinds in this chapter, and one things that I was especially excited to squeeze into the Toni POV because I think I didn't address it enough in Cheryl's point of view. So, I hope you all will like that!
> 
> Enjoy!xx

Toni woke up to the feeling of arms unwrapping themselves from around her and, not really thinking about it, she pulled them back around her tighter. When she heard a deep inhale from behind her, she realized that the arms belonged to Cheryl. A small smile came to her lips as she kept her eyes closed. She wasn’t sure she had ever woken up so comfortably.

“Toni?” Cheryl murmured from behind her.

“Shh,” Toni hushed her, “I’m sleeping.”

Cheryl chuckled a little, and Toni’s smile widened. “You’re talking.”

“Sleep talking.”

“What time is it?” Cheryl asked, ignoring Toni’s insistence.

“Don’t care.”

Toni felt Cheryl nuzzle into her hair from behind her, and a smile immediately came to her lips. She let out a happy sigh and started to fall back asleep, content to stay here as long as the universe would let her.

Unfortunately, the universe hadn’t allocated her much time. Her phone started buzzing before she was even able to fall back asleep. “Ugh,” Toni groaned immediately. “I don’t wanna answer it.”

“So don’t,” Cheryl mumbled, and her arms tightened around Toni, who let out an involuntarily laugh.

“I thought you were trying to be responsible,” she replied.

“I’m not the one who has anything to do today.”

Toni hummed thoughtfully, and then forced herself to pull away from Cheryl, sitting up enough to reach for her phone. Cheryl was rubbing her eyes sleepily as Toni answered the call, which was from Sweet Pea.

“Hey, Sweets, what’s up?” she asked tiredly.

“Dude, are you at your uncle’s or something? You never came back last night,” Sweet Pea snapped.

“Oh shit, no,” Toni answered, running a hand through her hair. “I didn’t think to text you, sorry. Um… I’m at Cheryl’s.”

“Holy shit, did you guys finally—”

Toni felt her cheeks warm up as she quickly answered, “No—shut up.”

“Fine, whatever. Well, you need to get back to Sunnyside because I need you on rounds with me,” Sweet Pea said, making Toni’s eyebrows furrow in frustration.

“What? That’s not fair, I’m not supposed to this weekend, and I work tonight.”

“Yeah, try telling that to FP. He seems pretty high strung today. I guess something happened after the shit with the Ghoulies earlier this week? Jug can’t make it, and you’re apparently next on the list.”

“Wait, that’s not—” Toni suppressed her urge to continue whining about the fact that it wasn’t fair for her to go on rounds this morning, because she knew that her main issue with it was that she would have to leave Cheryl. “Ugh, are you with him? Can you put him on the phone?”

“You really want to argue with FP on this? It’s a few hours of your time, and you know he wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important. Apparently, the schedule got fucked this week. I think some of the guys are a little worse for wear after this past week.”

“Okay, okay, fine, never mind.”

“Cool, so you’ll pull yourself away from your hot not-girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” Toni muttered, “see you in a bit.”

“How long is a bit?”

“I don’t know, I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

Toni hung up the call before Sweet Pea could say anything else and suppressed a groan. “What was that about?” She looked at Cheryl, who was frowning, with an apologetic look.

“Sweet Pea just started his rounds, and apparently Jughead can’t do his today. I don’t know why, but whatever it is, he needs me to cover for him. FP said I’m the only one who can do it with the schedule.”

“So, you have to go now?” Cheryl asked sadly.

Toni nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Cheryl assured her, pulling herself to a sitting position and stretching up her arms. Toni found herself immediately observing the toned muscles in Cheryl’s bare arms.

“Really?” she asked, trying to focus on the fact that she needed to leave, rather than how hot Cheryl was.

“Of course. I know you have Serpent duties and stuff.” Cheryl pursed her lips for a moment and trailed off after saying, “Just…”

“What?”

She let out a quiet breath. “I was going to say be safe, but I know that you always are.” Cheryl smiled softly.

That surprised Toni, for some reason. She thought about the fight with the ghoulies earlier that week, and the bruise she hid from Cheryl. Thankfully it had been faded well enough by last night, apparently, since Cheryl hadn't noticed anything. She bit down on the inside of her cheek. “I am,” she agreed. “Can I get ready real quick in your bathroom? I really need to head out like, now.”

“Of course.”

Toni smiled at the girl and then climbed off the bed, hurrying into the bathroom as she heard Cheryl fall back into bed. As she quickly got herself ready for the day, she thought about Cheryl imagining Toni’s days doing Serpent duties and decided that she should probably open up more about it. Maybe there were somethings that she didn’t really want Cheryl to know, but if this… if _they_ were going to be a _thing_ , she probably should tell her some of it.

Leaving the bathroom, Toni found Cheryl up and dressed. The redhead slipped into the bathroom, and Toni dressed in her same clothes from the night before. As she was grabbing her phone and brushing her hands through her hair, Cheryl came out of the room. “Let me walk you out,” she offered.

They made it down to the entrance of Thornhill without seeing any of Cheryl’s family, thankfully. “Thanks. I’m sorry again that I have to go so quickly.”

“It’s okay. Just text me later, okay?” Cheryl requested softly.

“Of course,” Toni agreed. “Now, I should probably go, before Sweet Pea kills me.”

Cheryl laughed a little and nodded, but as Toni started to turn around, Cheryl’s hand caught her wrist carefully. Toni turned to look at her in confusion, but found her lips trapped in a short and soft kiss. When Cheryl pulled away and released Toni, her cheeks a little pink, Toni couldn’t help but grin.

“Bye, Cheryl.”

“Bye.”

Toni couldn’t even wipe her grin off her face as she left the house, climbed on her motorcycle, and took off toward Sunnyside.

She found Sweet Pea waiting for her at the trailer part though, a look of annoyance on his face, and by that point, Toni was definitely not smiling. “Hey, dude. Sorry.”

“It’s whatever,” Sweet Pea insisted. “Just a weird fucking morning. I would’ve gone off and done most of my shit already, but FP wanted us to double up. I guess some of the Ghoulies have been trying to start shit this week with some of the older Serpents, and so some of them have some injuries, and Jughead is helping FP deal with it? Don’t ask me what exactly that means.”

“Fucking Ghoulies. What’s gotten into them?” Toni muttered.

“I don’t know, but as bad as it is, I think FP was saying that he thinks how chaotic they’re being is an indicator of them losing leadership. Like maybe they’re fizzling apart?” Sweet Pea said with a shrug.

“Well, that would be a relief.”

“Yeah. Well, come on, let’s get going.”

Rounds took a few hours, and by the time they were done, Toni was starving. Sweet Pea treated them both to some scrambled eggs when they made it back to his trailer around lunch time.

“So,” he said, as they both dug in—Toni practically shoveling it all down. “You going to tell me about what happened with you and Cheryl last night?”

Toni groaned. She swallowed her bite of food and then answered, “She had a rough evening. She didn’t want to be alone last night.”

“But no advancements on the whole… not-girlfriends thing?” Sweet Pea asked, looking at her with a dopey grin.

“No,” Toni answered, rolling her eyes. “And I don’t know when there will be any _advancements_. I’m trying to let Cheryl take the lead here.”

“Eh. I guess that makes sense.”

Toni shook her head. “You’re so invested.”

“Yeah well. I like Cheryl. And she seems to make you pretty happy, and you know, you’re like my best friend. So I want you to be happy.”

“You’re also _such_ a sap,” Toni said with a grin, laughing a little. Sweet Pea flushed, rolling his eyes and taking a bite of his food. “Thanks, Sweets. Well, I’ll let you know if and when anything between me and Cheryl changes, okay? You know, as long as it’s not like, TMI.”

“Yeah no, you can avoid telling me anything that might fall under that.”

* * *

Toni spent the early afternoon finishing her homework for the weekend, and then she found herself getting ready for work. The day had flown by already, and not in the best way.

Before she left for work, she made sure to shoot Cheryl a text.

**Toni – Hey! I’m headed to work and just wanted to let you know that I made it through my surprise rounds just fine this morning. Well, I wasn’t happy about it, but you know, I managed.**

Cheryl didn’t respond right away, so Toni decided to send one more follow up message before she left. She chewed on her lower lip as she typed it out.

**Toni – Also, I appreciate that you are pretty understanding about all my Serpent stuff. And I’m sorry I don’t tell you much about it. There was this big fight earlier this week, and I’m fine, but I did get a little bruised and shit. I didn’t want to tell you, but I feel like it’s fair if you know that kind of stuff. We’re hoping this shit with the Ghoulies is going to die down, though, so hopefully not too much more roughhousing for a while.**

Toni rolled her eyes at herself, but hit send anyway, before climbing onto her motorcycle and heading to work. When she got to the White Wyrm, she checked her phone quickly before starting her shift and found that Cheryl had responded.

**Cheryl – Glad you made it through rounds alright! And… thanks for telling me. It is sort of weird picturing that stuff, but I’m not stupid, you know, so I know that that stuff must happen. I do appreciate you trying to open up to me about it.**

It was enough to make Toni smile going into her shift.

* * *

The work night was long, and when Toni got home that night, she passed out in record time, and proceeded to sleep through most of the morning. When she did wake up, it was to Sweet Pea swatting at her and then handing her a plate with a sandwich on it once she’d sat up.

“What time is it?” Toni muttered, accepting the food despite it not being much of a breakfast meal.

“Almost noon,” Sweet Pea answered with a chuckle. “But I know yesterday was a lot, so I made Noah go out instead of holing in here playing Xbox.”

“Thanks.” Toni rolled her shoulders and took a bite of her sandwich.

“Yeah, no problem. I need to head out soon though, too—I’m supposed to meet Jughead. But I wanted to let you know that Fangs said Felicity is officially leaving this weekend.”

Toni lifted her eyebrows. “Oh shit, really?”

“Yep,” Sweet Pea answered with a nod. “We’re having a packing slash going away thing Saturday morning. You’re going to be there.”

“Duh.”

“You can invite Cheryl if you want,” Sweet Pea added, which actually warmed Toni’s heart a little. “Also, apparently we have a Serpent goodbye party type ritual? So, Saturday night, that’s happening.”

“God, really?” Toni asked. “That sounds actually horrible, the older Serpents are going to be awful to her.”

“Yeah well, unfortunately, I think she’s used to it.”

Toni frowned, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“But yeah, that’s obviously Serpents only.” Toni nodded, having figured as much. “So, you should talk to Fangs, but I’m pretty sure that means you’re good to move in on Sunday.”

Toni finally smiled. “Damn, I almost forgot about that.”

“It’s gonna be weird not seeing you around here as much, but I’m glad you’re going to have your own space.”

“I’m going to be like, a minute walk away,” Toni teased. “But yeah, I mean, I didn’t want this to be permanent by any means. So I’m glad that this worked out so well.”

Sweet Pea smiled. “Good luck getting Noah to be okay with it, though.”

“Eh, he’ll survive,” Toni said with a laugh.

“Yeah. Well, I should probably go—see you later?”

“Mmhmm, thanks for the food.”

“Anytime!”

* * *

Toni went over to Fangs’ place after she got up and ready for the day and got more details on the plan for Saturday and Sunday. She was really excited to have her own space again, especially one that wouldn’t feel like it could be taken away at any moment.

Sunday night was another busy day at work, but after she got home, she was graced with a call from none other than Cheryl Blossom.

“Hey,” she greeted curiously, “everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Cheryl answered. “I just didn’t get to see you today, so I figured I could at least call you. How was work?”

Toni smiled, climbing off of the couch in Sweet Pea’s trailer. It was ten-thirty, and Noah was probably going to sleep soon, so she didn’t want to be talking loudly in the living room. “It was okay,” she answered, as she left the trailer and went over to her motorcycle, leaning against it. “Let’s get back to the part where you were missing me?”

She heard Cheryl’s smile when the girl said, “Well, I’ll admit. You’ve been on my mind a lot. Actually, I can’t get you out of it.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Toni teased. “How was your day?”

“Uneventful,” Cheryl answered, and Toni had a feeling that was not the good kind of uneventful. “I just did homework mostly. I thought I needed a break after Friday, but unfortunately, I got bored.”

Toni laughed a little, looking down at her feet. “Well, next time you’re bored, you can always swing by the Wyrm.”

“I wouldn’t be bothering you?” Cheryl wondered.

“No.” She smiled. “You just might have to buy a beer, so it doesn’t look suspicious.” Cheryl chuckled, and Toni couldn’t help but notice that she sounded a little sad. “So, you doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… still getting used to figuring out how to spend my time.”

Toni took a second to realize what she meant, and then she said, “Heather used to occupy a lot of your time.”

“Yeah.”

Toni blew out a slow breath, not quite sure how to help here. “Well, don’t let yourself get bored next time.” She hoped that Cheryl understood the second invitation for Cheryl to crash the Wyrm while Toni was working.

“Okay.”

“So, what are you up to, Bombshell?” Toni wondered. “Just curled up in bed calling me?”

“Maybe. I wish you were here.” Toni grinned, her heart skipping a beat. “When are you free this week?”

“Well,” Toni started, thinking about her schedule. She’d reworked it a little when she’d gone to work earlier, after learning the plans for next weekend. “This week is kind of weird. I’m working Monday, Wednesday, and Friday pretty much all day after school, because on Saturday morning, I’m helping Felicity pack up and move. It’s a whole big thing that Sweets told me about this morning. You’re welcome to come to that.”

“Alright, I will,” Cheryl agreed, bringing a smile to Toni’s face. “What about Saturday night and Sunday? Are you moving into the trailer this weekend?”

“Well, that’s the plan for Sunday. I’m working Monday and Wednesday so I don’t have to work Saturday or Sunday. Saturday night, Felicity is having a Serpents going away at the Wyrm. Apparently, the Serpents actually have a ritual like goodbye party thing for when the Serpents move away, which doesn’t happen often. Unfortunately, that’s Serpents only, so I won’t be free Saturday night.”

“Okay… okay, and then on Sunday, you’re moving into Fangs’ trailer?”

“Yep. You wanna help with that?” Toni asked, already imagining having her own space to be at with Cheryl.

“Definitely. Are you excited to have your own space again?”

“Beyond excited. Going to have my own bed again, and I’ll only be sharing a bathroom with one guy instead of three of vastly different ages.” She laughed a little to herself.

Then, Cheryl surprised her with the question, “Will you let me decorate your room?”

Toni smirked. “Are you going to paint it red and bring me a bunch of creepy Victorian looking decorations?”

“Of course not!” Cheryl exclaimed in offense. “You’ll have executive veto powers. I just have a feeling that it’s been a while since you got to have a well-decorated space, and I happen to really enjoy decorating.”

“Okay, you can decorate my new room,” Toni agreed, still smiling. She wasn’t about to complain about Cheryl wanting to make her new room homey. Toni couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that at home anywhere, and anything to make her new room feel like a home would be welcome.

“Yay! Okay, well, sounds like I at least get to see you some this week and this weekend.”

“And I told you, you can always come to the Wyrm if you’re feeling lonely.”

“Right. You’re really sweet, Toni.”

Toni bit back a grin. “Shh, don’t tell anyone.” After a moment, she said, “You should get some sleep, Cheryl. And I should, too. Work was tiring again. I don’t know what it is about early April… everyone wants to come get drunk at the Wyrm apparently.”

Cheryl chuckled. “Okay, well, I guess I might see you tomorrow, but if not, I can expect to see you Tuesday?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. Have a good night, Toni.”

Toni smiled. “You too, Bombshell.” The call dropped off, and Toni pushed off of her motorcycle, glancing around the dark trailer park. Letting out a breath, she headed back into the trailer, already hoping that this week would fly by.

* * *

Apparently, though, the week had other plans.

On Monday, not even more than a few hours into Toni being awake, she got a dramatic sounding text from Cheryl while she was sitting in class.

**Cheryl – You won’t believe what Heather did.**

Toni sucked in a breath as she typed her response.

**Toni – Oh no. What?**

**Cheryl – She told EVERYONE that you and I are dating.**

**Toni – Shit… like, literally everyone?**

**Cheryl – She told the Vixens and the Bulldogs, and told them all to spread the word, and with the number of looks I’m getting today, I’m sure pretty much everyone at RH knows.**

Toni felt her heart aching for Cheryl. Coming out was a process that was different for everyone, which meant that being able to do it however you were comfortable was the most important part. The fact that Heather had taken some of that away from Cheryl was absolutely disgusting. But as much as Toni wanted to beat Heather up, she was more concerned about whether Cheryl was okay.

**Toni – I’m so sorry, Cheryl. Are you gonna make it through today?**

**Cheryl – I have to. If I cave, Heather wins. But as Veronica pointed out, if I attack, Heather still wins. I don’t know what to do. I’m not the kind of person to retreat, but I’m also not the kind of person to stand by while everyone gawks at me.**

**Toni – So, it sounds like you’re the kind of person who attacks?**

Toni chewed on her bottom lip, hoping that this wasn’t going to end up going south for the redhead.

**Cheryl – I guess so, yeah. But how can I go after Heather for this without everyone hating me even more?**

Toni thought for a moment, trying to come up with a good suggestion for Cheryl. After a second, she typed up a response.

**Toni – You don’t have to go right after Heather to attack back. Just stand up for yourself. Shut them up. You’re badass, Cheryl, you can get them to leave you alone. I know you can.**

**Cheryl – That’s a good idea actually.**

**Toni – Is that you being surprised I had a good idea?**

She was teasing of course, just trying to calm the other girl down.

**Cheryl – No, sorry. I’m just stressed about all of this. I really appreciate your advice, thank you. I’m going to first period, I’ll let you know what happens if anything happens.**

**Toni – Okay, good luck! You got this, Bombshell.**

**Cheryl – Thanks, I hope you’re right.**

Toni let out a quiet breath. The rest of her school day, she supposed, was going to be one full of suspense.

The suspense lasted until literally the end of the day, when Toni got a text right as her last period teacher was starting to wrap up for the day.

**Cheryl – What time do you work today?**

**Toni – In about an hour, why?**

**Cheryl – I have a lot to tell you. I’m outside. X**

That surprised Toni for sure, and when the last bell rang, she packed up her stuff and left her class as fast as possible. The thought of Cheryl sitting outside Southside High in her fancy ass car was a little worrisome—Ghoulies had been crazy lately, after all.

Toni was at her locker, shoving things in it dramatically, when Sweet Pea and Fangs came up to her. “What’s the rush, Tiny?” Fangs asked.

“She works tonight,” Sweet Pea answered confidently.

“Oh yeah, that’s right.”

“Mmhmm.” Toni muttered, closing her locker and then swinging her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s go, losers.”

“Dude, did you guys hear about Mr. Maxwell? Apparently, he and the new PE teacher are banging,” Sweet Pea said, raising his eyebrows.

“How do you know that?” Fangs demanded. “That’s such a creepy and invasive thing to know.”

“It’s been going around the school. I think one of the seniors caught them.”

“God, that’s awful,” Fangs said with a shake of his head. “But I guess teachers deserve some drama.”

Toni rolled her eyes as they finally pushed out of the building. She was glancing around for Cheryl’s car, but then Sweet Pea said, “Hey, is that Cheryl?” He nodded off to the left, and Toni turned and met the girl’s eyes.

“Ooh, Toni’s got her Northside girlfriend here picking her up for work?” Fangs asked with a grin.

Toni rolled her eyes, turning and glaring at both of the boys grinning stupidly at her. “First of all, shut up. Not my girlfriend—you both know that, and Sweets, you and I are going to have a discussion about whatever it is you’ve been telling Fangs.”

“Dude, you’re _so_ obvious, he didn’t need to say anything.”

“Whatever. See you losers later.”

She waved at them dramatically as she backed in Cheryl’s direction. She then turned around and hurried to Cheryl’s car. As she did, she overheard some Ghoulies sneering about the “Northside princess” being at Southside High, and she clenched her fists inside her jacket pockets.

She made it up to the car.

“Hey, are we going somewhere?”

“You only have an hour, and I know your bike is here, so we don’t have to. Just, like I said, I have a lot to tell you. So get in?”

Toni got into the car, glancing out the window nervously. “You’re drawing lots of eyes here.”

“Well, after today, I’m definitely used to it,” Cheryl muttered, before making eye contact with Toni. She frowned. “Are you mad that I came here?”

“No,” Toni answered quickly. “Maybe we should just drive somewhere else, though. I heard some Ghoulies talking shit, and they’re the guys you have to worry about over here.” She gave Cheryl her best smile, and the redhead nodded, immediately putting her car in gear and pulling out of the lot. Toni was a little surprised as Cheryl seemed to navigate easily to the Twilight Drive-In, parking right outside the fenced in area. When they were parked, Toni didn’t even need to ask Cheryl what was up, because the Northsider immediately faced Toni and started to talk.

“So, I took your advice about defending myself rather than attacking Heather.”

“Okay…” Toni furrowed her eyebrows. “What does that mean? What’d you do?”

“Well, I didn’t have time to make a plan before I caught Heather snickering at me all _haughty_ , and that really pissed me off, so… I stood on top of a lunch table and basically chewed everyone in the cafeteria out.’”

Toni’s eyes widened, imagining the girl climbing on top of a table. It made her mouth dry, but she was also incredibly surprised. “Seriously? What’d you say?”

“I confirmed what Heather said about me and told them off.”

Toni felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Cheryl say that she hadn’t denied Heather’s allegations. Still, she was surprised at Cheryl’s tactics, and shook her head a little as she said, “Damn, Bombshell. That’s brave. You didn’t get in trouble?”

“Principal Weatherbee summoned me in last period,” Cheryl answered, sounding bored, “but I’m not worried about him. He can’t get me in trouble, the Vixens would be in shambles if he did. Plus, this is the first time I’ve made an infraction, so I’m sure he’ll let me off easy. After he refused to do anything about Heather, I insisted that he not punish me, and I walked out.”

Toni lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “And you think that’ll work?”

“It will. I’m a Blossom, Toni.”

“Yeah, I haven’t forgotten,” Toni answered, sitting back a little. She imagined herself trying to pull anything like that at school, and clearly imagined the consequences from even her shitty ass school, and possibly even from the Serpents. “I’m proud of you for sticking up for yourself. Even if your conversation with the principal does make you sound kinda entitled.”

Cheryl frowned, and Toni listened as she said, “I didn’t do anything wrong. He was mostly mad because I called everyone assholes and I said ‘hell.’ But I was really upset, Toni. You didn’t see how Heather looked at me, how she got all of the Vixens to _laugh_ at me. Most people at Riverdale High forget that they can hurt me, but Heather _knows_ that I can be hurt.” Cheryl took in a deep breath. “But I won’t let any of them hurt me anymore.”

Toni hummed a little. “You’re right… I’m sorry.” She stared at the beautiful girl in front of her, considering how different their lives were. How differently Cheryl handled any and everything in her life. She might be used to this confident Cheryl, but Toni had seen her in moments where she wasn’t quite so strong. “Sometimes… when you bounce from being upset to being so strong again, I forget for a second all the other stuff. You’re too good at hiding your emotions.”

Cheryl smiled a little. “I don’t want to hide from you, Toni. But also, you’re one to talk about being good at hiding your emotions.”

Toni felt a little guilty, thinking about the fight last week that she’d finally told Cheryl about over text. She wondered if Cheryl was upset about that—they hadn’t mentioned it since then in any of their texts. “What do you mean?” Toni asked, before somewhat jokingly adding, “I’m an open book.”

“You _act_ like an open book,” Cheryl corrected, “but the pages you show aren’t always the truth. You’re always acting so strong. I remember when… you told me that your parents used your babysitting money for drugs, that it was for the best that they’re in jail. And you were so unfazed by getting locked out by your uncle, by having to break in and take your stuff back. You’ve had to grow up so fast, and every last piece of your childhood has been stolen from you. You act like it doesn’t bother you… but it does. You’re just afraid to show it to anyone.”

Toni let out a breath. “Where I’m from, Cheryl, you can’t afford to show it to anyone.” She sat up straighter. “You get back up and keep going the _second_ you’re knocked down.”

“That’s how it is where I’m from, too. That’s why you and I are so good at hiding how we feel.” Suddenly, Cheryl lifting her hand and brought it to Toni’s cheek, stroking her thumb across it. “You don’t have to hide from me Toni. I can be here for you too, you know that. I’ve seen you crack before, that night at the Wyrm. I’ve seen past your mask, Toni.”

Toni let herself smile now. “I know.”

“Good.”

“And… I’m sorry. About the ‘entitled’ comment. I didn’t mean to be like those other people, who forget that you have emotions and that you can be hurt. Obviously, I know you can be hurt, and I want to be there for you when someone hurts you. Well… really I want to fight anyone who hurts you, but I won’t do that without asking first.” She smiled teasingly at Cheryl, hoping to cut some of the tension she felt in the car.

Cheryl smiled a little, too. “I think we should give Heather one more chance to stop being terrible before I let you risk yourself to fight her.”

“It wouldn’t be a risk,” Toni said with a scoff, “I could take her easily.”

Cheryl laughed at that. “I know.” Toni lifted an eyebrow a little as Cheryl leaned over the center console a bit, but before she could say anything, Cheryl was pulling her face closer. Their lips pressed together in an intense kiss. Toni moved her hand to Cheryl’s neck, kissing her back deeply, and heard Cheryl hum softly.

After a few long seconds of kissing there in Cheryl’s car, Toni pulled herself away from the girl, taking in a breath before murmuring, “We shouldn’t get distracted, I have to work soon.”

“I know… I wish we could get distracted,” Cheryl whispered.

“Me too.” Toni smiled flirtatiously. “You’re my favorite distraction.”

Cheryl grinned in response, but it faltered a little as she said, “So… do I need to get you back to Southside High?”

“Unfortunately, that’s probably a good idea.”

“Okay.” Cheryl smiled sweetly. “Let’s get you back then.”

* * *

Toni thought a lot about her conversation with Cheryl during the rest of the week, about how both of them were prone to hiding their feelings, to covering them up. She thought about Cheryl telling her that she didn’t have to hide all of the hurt from her life from her, and she felt strangely seen by the girl who had next to no idea what Toni’s life had been like.

The conversation had ignited a far more intense desire for Cheryl than Toni had yet experienced. Unfortunately, though, she found herself unable to see Cheryl for most of the week, since she was working most evenings and both of them ended up having a lot of homework to get done on the days that she was off.

They texted a lot though, which was the only thing that filled Toni’s need all week. She also tried to tell Cheryl more about some Serpent stuff, but she kept it pretty minimal. She mentioned the shit with the Ghoulies a little more, and she explained some about the Ghoulies and Serpents dynamic specifically at school. It was easy to talk to Cheryl, as usual, and she could hardly understand how it could possibly be so easy.

On Friday, Toni was beyond ready for the weekend. In fact, she was excited. Well, she wasn’t excited to send Felicity off—considering how much she looked up to her, it was both weird and amazing to see her going off to leave Riverdale—but she was excited to move into her new space and spend some time with Cheryl.

“Tiny!” Sweet Pea called at the end of the school day on Friday, running up to her with Fangs on his heel. “We’re thinking about taking Felicity to Pop’s for her last chance to try Northside actually decent place for food. And well, Fangs hasn’t had it either.”

“Yeah, but apparently you have frequented that place, so you wanna join us?” Fangs asked with a grin.

Toni groaned. “I actually do like their food and I would go, but I have to work. Remember? I took tomorrow and Sunday off. I definitely need to go in today.”

“Ugh, okay,” Fangs said with a groan. “I hope none of those stupid Bulldogs are there. I’m not trying to get into a fight with stupid Northsiders today.”

“I feel like Toni will kill us if we do,” Sweet Pea teased.

Toni rolled her eyes. “I don’t give a shit about some football players, first of all. Well—on second thought, one of them _is_ Cheryl’s brother, so just leave any red-headed Bulldogs alone. Other than that, have at it.”

“It’s so weird seeing you all _relationship-y_ ,” Fangs said with a smirk. “Who is this Toni?”

“Shut up,” Toni snapped at him, as they headed out of the school building, “I’m not even in a relationship.”

“But you wish you were,” Sweet Pea teased.

“So fucking what?” Toni muttered as the three of them made their way to their bikes.

“I just think it’s kinda crazy. Our resident bad girl, Tiny Toni Topaz, totally wrapped around a Northsider’s finger,” Fangs teased.

“You’re an asshole.”

“Hey, don’t get me wrong! I like Cheryl, she’s actually not bad. And I’m just teasing.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I’ve gotta get back and change.”

“Don’t forget to pack before Sunday,” Fangs said.

“Is that a joke? I own like, two bags worth of stuff,” Toni said with a slightly sad but mostly joking laugh.

“Right,” Fangs gave her an apologetic smile. “I’m just excited to be _roomies_.”

“Okay, not roommates, trailer-mates.” Toni rolled her eyes. “Alright, I need to get back. I’ll see you losers later.”

“Yeah, we’ll probably come to the bar after dinner. You’ll have our beers ready?”

Toni smirked. “Totally, I’ll make it nice and special for you two.”

“I don’t want to know what that means, do I?”

“Nope, you don’t.”

* * *

A few hours later found Toni behind the bar at the Wyrm, wearing a white tank top and high rise jeans. She had tied her hair into two braids, which was easier to keep out of the way as she worked. It was a somewhat busy night, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad yet.

Jughead and Betty came in at some point, and she headed over to take their order before the other bartender could do it. “Hey,” she greeted with a smile, “what can I get you guys?”

“Just two beers,” Jughead answered, “thanks Toni.”

Toni smiled, grabbing two bottles and popping them open. “Toni, did you hear about Cheryl’s big thing on Monday?” Betty asked, looking at Toni with a funny look. It felt weird talking to Betty about Cheryl, Toni realized, since she actually knew that they were dating. It would be weird to get used to.

“Oh yeah, her standing on the lunch table? I heard all about that,” Toni said with a chuckle.

“It was pretty impressive,” Jughead said with a nod. “Kind of insane, but that’s sort of just Cheryl, so.”

Betty rolled her eyes and smiled at Toni. “He doesn’t want to admit it, but the stuff she said about Southsiders was actually pretty great.”

Toni furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head. “What did she say?”

“She said that Southsiders work ten times as hard for a tenth of the things that Northsiders get. Which is really pretty true,” Betty said with a nod. “Anyway, Jughead is used to Cheryl like, not really even acknowledging him and stuff, so he was a little take a back.”

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Jug, you know she was talking about me,” Toni teased, winking at her friend, who rolled his eyes.

“It’s still so weird getting used to you two dating. And she just like, knows things now. The Southside happenings. It’s so weird. We talked about Felicity’s going away party at lunch today,” Jughead said, shaking his head.

Toni smiled. “Yeah well, get used to it, loser. Anyway, I should get back to work. You two enjoy your night.”

She continued to smile to herself as she continued working, getting more and more excited to see Cheryl this weekend.

Apparently though, she didn’t need to wait long, because a couple hours later found two people approaching the bar and getting her attention, and those two people were Sweet Pea _and_ Cheryl. “Hey!” Toni chimed in surprise. “Did you guys come here together?”

“We met up at Pop’s on accident,” Cheryl answered, setting down a to-go milkshake cup that Toni hadn’t noticed. “And speaking of—this is for you.”

Toni took it off of the counter. “Thanks!” She took a sip of it, smiling a little, and then slipped the cup under the bar so she wouldn’t get in trouble.

“I got you food too,” Cheryl told her, “but I figured you could just eat it after your shift.”

Toni nodded, and then Sweet Pea said, “Oh, Jug is here? I’m gonna go say hey.” Toni followed him with her gaze for a second, feeling bad that she’d basically forgotten he was there for a second.

Toni looked back at Cheryl with a warm gaze, though, and asked, “How was your day?”

“It was good, actually. I ran into Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Felicity at Pop’s and had dinner with them.”

Toni lifted her eyebrows now. “Oh, really? That’s cool.” She tried to imagine that, but she couldn’t really bring the image to her mind. “That’s cool. My evening’s been kind of tiring. Jug and Betty got here when it was less busy, so I got to talk to them a little.”

“Did you hear that Veronica and Betty are going décor shopping with me tomorrow?” Cheryl wondered with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I didn’t,” Toni answered, leaning on the counter in front of her a little.

“Yeah, we’re going to get everything you could ever need for your room in Fangs’ trailer.”

Toni laughed a little, hoping that her cheeks weren’t as red as they for some reason felt. “Great. I mean, that’s the last thing I would invest in for the place, so I guess you might as well get it for me.” Cheryl smiled sweetly at her, and Toni knew she must be blushing at this point. What had gotten into her? “You know what I did hear about, though?”

“What?”

“They told me more details about your little cafeteria speech on Monday. How you said people on the Southside work ten times as hard for a tenth of the things people on the Northside get.”

“Yeah, well, that seems to be the case,” Cheryl said, a little defensively. Toni smiled.

“I wasn’t saying that you said anything wrong. I was going to say that I was impressed that you said that people on the Southside work so hard. I don’t think you believed that when I met you.”

Cheryl looked at her pointedly. “Well, Toni, I didn’t believe a lot of things when I met you.”

Toni grinned. “So you’re saying I _opened your eyes_?”

“Definitely,” Cheryl answered, her voice quiet but firm. Toni felt a warmth in the pit of her stomach.

“Wow. I’m powerful.”

“You are.”

Toni could’ve gotten lost in Cheryl’s intense gaze, but then she heard the other bartender, Beth, call, “Toni, can you help?”

“Shit,” Toni hissed, and she gave Cheryl an apologetic look before she started helping with orders and everything. She got Cheryl a beer as well, happy that the girl was staying and hanging out. She even saw her talking to Sweet Pea, Jughead, and Betty after a while, and it really warmed her heart.

At ten, Toni got off work. She slipped her Serpent jacket on, grabbed her things, gave a quick goodbye to her friends, and then she and Cheryl walked out of the bar together.

“I’m sure the food is cold. We can go to Thornhill or Sunnyside and heat it up if you want?” Cheryl offered.

“If we’re going to Thornhill, then we have to stay there,” Toni said, without thinking, before quickly adding, “because otherwise that’s a really long drive just to heat up food.”

Cheryl looked a little… nervous, maybe, or maybe it was something else, as she answered, “Yeah, that’s fine with me. I’ll meet you there.”

Cheryl went to her car and Toni to her bike, and they drove separately across to Northside and to Cheryl’s giant mansion of a home. When they got there, Toni was happy to not see Cheryl’s parents around anywhere. They went to the kitchen and Cheryl heated up the food she’d picked up from Pop’s, and then they went up to Cheryl’s room, laying across her bed as she ate.

“Thanks for the food,” Toni said, “you really didn’t have to buy me dinner.”

“I wanted to.”

“Well, thank you.” Toni bit back a grin as she took another bite of her food. She swallowed and then said, “So, how exactly did you end up eating dinner with Sweets, Fangs, and Felicity?”

“It was really unexpected, actually. I saw them as I was walking out of Pop’s, and _Felicity_ invited me to eat with them, since you weren’t getting off until ten and I told them I was headed to the Wyrm,” Cheryl explained. “I was kind of scared at first. Felicity is a little intimidating.”

Toni smirked at that, imagining how Cheryl must’ve felt at dinner. “I didn’t know anyone could intimidate Cheryl Blossom.” Cheryl rolled her eyes at that, looking away a little. “Well hey, that’s cool.” Suddenly, Cheryl looked back at Toni and reached over to the Pop’s bag, pulling out a fry and popping it into her mouth. “Hey! Didn’t you already have your own fries?”

“Like, almost three hours ago,” Cheryl argued, stealing another one.

“You’re lucky I like you, Bombshell,” Toni teased, feigning a glare, “or else I’d have to beat you up.”

Cheryl laughed, smiling as she said, “I believe it.”

Toni smiled too, and after another bite, she asked, “So, anything else interesting from today?”

“Not really. Vixens practice was very uneventful, thankfully. Lunch with my friends was nice, they were asking about you a lot. Jughead and Veronica were pretty curious about when we started talking. I counted and realized it’s been over two months since I met you.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy that in two months you went from hating me to liking me,” Toni teased, winking at Cheryl before taking another bite of her burger.

Cheryl leaned back against her pillows and said, “You went from hating me to liking me, too.”

Toni swallowed her food and looked at Cheryl quizzically. “You really think I hated you when I met you?”

“Yes?” Cheryl asked, as though it were obvious.

Toni thought back to that night. Maybe she hadn’t exactly _respected_ Cheryl, but she hadn’t _hated_ her. “Maybe I hated what you were saying and how you were acting, but I could see through your mask _just_ enough to be intrigued.” She thought back to that moment again, to Cheryl staring at Heather at the Wyrm that night. “Because you didn’t know I was watching you while you were watching _her_. I could see your jealousy and protectiveness… and your sadness. And I could relate.”

Cheryl was obviously blushing as she said, “Oh.”

Toni fought a smile as she finished off her dinner, crumpling up her trash and moving it to the nightstand. “Could I get some water?”

“Yeah, I think there’s actually some new water bottles under my sink in the bathroom.”

Toni got up from the bed, nodding. “I’ll just go to the bathroom while I’m at it then.”

She slipped into the bathroom and quickly did her business, before pulling a water bottle out from under the sink. She twisted off the cap and took a long drink, staring at herself in the mirror a little. She thought about what all of her friends had been saying lately, about how Toni clearly wanted to be _with_ Cheryl, and she thought about how much she’d missed her this week. If she’d been reading the tension right all evening, she was pretty sure Cheryl had missed her just as much.

She took another drink of her water, and then she left the bathroom. She noticed Cheryl sitting on the bed still and perking up a little as Toni came out. “You okay?” Toni wondered, setting the bottle down on the nightstand and sitting on the bed as well.

“Yeah,” Cheryl insisted. Toni stared at the girl for a moment, trying to read her expression, when Cheryl finally asked, “So, when you said you wanted to stay here, did you mean stay over?”

Toni felt her heart skip a beat. “I did… if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” Cheryl answered quickly, “that’s what I was hoping for.”

“Yeah, we’ve established that you always miss me,” Toni teased, scooting closer to Cheryl so that their faces were just inches apart. She could feel Cheryl’s breath on her lips, and it took all of her willpower not to bite down on her own lower lip. She had been pretty sure she hadn’t imagined the sexual tension all night, but now she was sure she hadn’t.

“Don’t get cocky,” Cheryl whispered, barely audible.

“Why don’t you just admit it?” Toni teased, her voice just as soft. “You _always_ miss me.”

“Shut up and kiss me,” Cheryl commanded. Toni hated—but not really—how easily she obeyed, pressing her lips firmly into Cheryl’s. The kiss was anything but soft and gentle, rather it was fast, desperate, needy. And Toni was happy to see that she wasn’t the only one who had been needing this so badly. Cheryl was grabbing Toni’s waist after a few seconds, pulling her onto Cheryl’s lap, where she gladly settled. Toni pressed Cheryl into the pillow behind her, pushing her tongue into Cheryl’s mouth and hearing an audible moan in response.

She slid her hands underneath Cheryl’s top, pressing the pads of her fingers into her toned abs. Cheryl hummed again, and suddenly her hands were pulling out Toni’s braids, getting a little laugh from the pink haired girl. Her hair was falling all around her now, and Cheryl tangled her fingers into it, grabbing it in fistfuls and pulling it experimentally. Toni couldn’t even contain the moan that that incited.

Toni shifted their position, sliding her thigh in between Cheryl’s, pressing it to her center. Toni felt Cheryl moan against her lips as her hips bucked in response, and Toni felt her own center get hot and wet at the response from the redhead. Toni pushed her hands further up Cheryl’s shirt, grasping at Cheryl’s breasts, squeezing them over her bra.

All of the sudden, Cheryl was tearing her own shirt off of herself, and Toni rushed to help. Their lips broke apart as they worked together to remove it. She followed up by removing Cheryl’s bra, and Cheryl pushed off Toni’s jacket. Both items of clothing fell onto the floor alongside Cheryl’s shirt, and then their lips came back together desperately.

Cheryl wrapped her leg around the bottom of Toni’s, and her hands started to tug on Toni’s tank top as Toni’s tongue explored Cheryl’s mouth. She groaned a little as she broke their kiss again to allow for her own top to be removed. She was surprised, but not upset, when Cheryl took her bralette with it.

When their lips came back together, their hands were exploring each other’s chests. Cheryl’s thumbs ran over Toni’s hard nipples, and Toni moaned. She slid her hands down lower, palming at her still clothed ass and squeezing it as best as she could through the jeans. Cheryl moaned, her hips bucking again as she grinded her center into Toni’s thigh.

Toni quietly moaned, her hands coming around to the front of Cheryl’s jeans. She pulled her lips away from Cheryl’s for just long enough to murmur, “Can I take these off?”

“Please,” Cheryl begged, and Toni didn’t hesitate any longer. She unbuttoned the jeans and began to peel them off of Cheryl, leaving her only in underwear. Toni froze above her, taking in her whole body. The girl was absolutely flawless, her creamy, soft skin unmarred across her whole body. Her curves seemingly chiseled by the gods. She dropped her hands to Cheryl’s thighs, squeezing them lightly as if grounding herself, as she wondered how she was so lucky to be atop this beautiful girl. “God, Toni…”

“You are _so_ sexy, Cheryl,” Toni whispered. Before she could help herself, she dropped her lips to the inside of Cheryl’s thigh, pressing little kisses to the skin there. She brought her hands around to Cheryl’s now almost bare ass, squeezing it easily and causing Cheryl’s hips to buck desperately. Toni looked up at Cheryl’s face and found that the girl was palming at her own breasts, pinching her nipples. Toni moaned at the scene. She gripped the edges of Cheryl’s panties. “Can I take _these_ off?”

“Yes,” Cheryl answered breathlessly. “Please, Toni, take them off and fuck me.”

“God, that’s so hot,” Toni moaned, pulling down and throwing away Cheryl’s underwear. She couldn’t take her gaze off of Cheryl’s wet center, which was radiating heat. “Fuck, you’re so ready for me, aren’t you, Cher?” The nickname came out without permission, but Cheryl didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes, Toni, please,” Cheryl begged, “I need you so bad, Toni…”

Toni crawled up the bed over Cheryl’s body, pressing her lips back to the redhead’s as her hand slipped down between her thighs. She allowed her fingers to explore around Cheryl’s folds. “God, babe, you’re so wet.” Cheryl grinded down onto her fingers, and Toni laughed a little as she finally entered her. “Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Cheryl gasped out. Toni thumbed her clit as she slid two fingers in and out of Cheryl. She brought her left hand up to Cheryl’s boobs, and pressed her lips to Cheryl’s as she worked her up. Cheryl’s breathing became too short, and then Toni trailed kisses down her neck instead. She barely noticed when she left a hickey there, but Cheryl was way too worked up to care, which became evident as Cheryl began to beg, “D-don’t stop, p-please, don’t stop!”

Toni moaned, pressing her thumb more firmly into Cheryl’s clit and rubbing as her fingers pushed deeper into Cheryl. Biting down on her lower lip and watching Cheryl’s face twist in concentration, Toni curled her fingers inside of Cheryl, and that seemed to do it. Cheryl cried out, arching her back as she came, and then she collapsed onto the mattress in a sweaty mess.

Toni didn’t remove her fingers, but instead lowered herself down to the level of Cheryl’s center, her mouth close to it. She blew cold air against it, and Cheryl shuddered. “May I?” Cheryl nodded, and Toni pressed her tongue into the wet mess between Cheryl’s thighs.

She licked Cheryl clean, and then pressed her tongue against her clit, causing Cheryl’s hips to buck a little again. But then Toni crawled up Cheryl’s body, pulling her fingers out of Cheryl carefully and then sucking them clean. Cheryl moaned at that, and then pulled Toni down for a deep kiss. Toni hummed into it, knowing that Cheryl was tasting herself on her lips.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, Cheryl still too breathless. Toni laid next to her, looking at her naked body in complete awe. “Take those off,” Cheryl whispered, looking at Toni’s pants.

Toni obeyed, unbuttoning her jeans and pulling them off, leaving her only in her underwear. Cheryl took in the sight, and then her hand landed on the spot where Toni knew her Serpent tattoo was. “Yeah, that’s it,” she breathed out, “the infamous tattoo.”

“I like it,” Cheryl whispered.

“Really?” Toni asked, not really believing her.

Cheryl nodded. “It looks good regardless, but… it’s also important to you. I know that.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, surprised a little, but not wanting to seem like it. Suddenly, Cheryl was sitting up and pushing Toni onto her back. She then crawled down the bed, Toni waiting in anticipation, not quite sure what was happening. Cheryl brought her face level with Toni’s hip, and she pressed a soft kiss over her tattoo, getting a shiver from Toni.

Cheryl looked up at her with a smile. “You’re beautiful, Toni. You being a Serpent doesn’t change that—you can be a badass and a little rough around the edges…” Cheryl trailed off for a moment, her fingers tracing her hip. “…and still be beautiful.” Toni bit down on her lower lip as she stared down at the incredible girl complimenting her. She didn’t even have the words to respond to her, and she felt a breath ripped from her throat as Cheryl’s soft fingers traced over her tattoo again, and then down to her thighs. Toni immediately spread her legs apart.

Cheryl looked up for consent as her fingers hooked onto the sides of Toni’s underwear, and Toni nodded enthusiastically, suppressing a moan as Cheryl slowly pulled it off of her and tossed it aside. She then crawled up the bed over Toni, pressing her own legs to Toni’s thighs to hold them apart, and tangled her hands into Toni’s hair again.

Their lips came together in a hot kiss, and Toni dug her fingers into Cheryl’s bare back. Suddenly, Cheryl’s hand was running down Toni’s center, giving her a chill and goosebumps, and came to settled between her thighs. Toni heard herself moan quietly. Cheryl explored the area slowly, and Toni moaned louder, thrusting forward a little when it started to become not enough.

And then Cheryl’s lips pulled away from Toni’s as her fingers slid inside of her. Toni squeezed her eyes shut and pushed herself into Cheryl’s fingers. She became slightly disoriented as Cheryl started to move her fingers intentionally inside of her, moans escaping her lips. Cheryl began to press fluttery kisses on the sides of Toni’s jaw, and Toni felt desperate for more satisfaction.

“Please,” she gasped out, “touch my clit, Cher, please…”

Cheryl’s fingers turned inside of her as she twisted her wrist, her thumb coming to Toni’s clit and immediately causing Toni’s hips to jolt. The rhythm continued like that, Cheryl’s fingers moving as her thumb teased Toni’s clit, and Toni lost track of all time and sensation other than Cheryl’s touch. She clung to the girl as she finally started to reach her peek, and when she hit it, she moaned loudly and then relaxed completely into the bed.

The next thing Toni knew, Cheryl was settled next to her on the bed, her fingers still buried inside of Toni, and Toni was coming to, opening her eyes and finally having them land on the gorgeous girl next to her.

“Was that okay?” Cheryl whispered, her eyes a little wide.

Toni nodded, a smile creeping onto her face without hesitation. “It was more than okay, Cheryl.”

Cheryl smiled in response, relaxing next to Toni and letting her head fall onto the pillow. She carefully pulled her fingers out of Toni, dragging them along Toni’s hip and causing her to shiver. Toni bit down on the inside of her lip as Cheryl traced around her Serpent tattoo. “You _can_ call me Cher, you know, like you did now. Not many people do, mostly like Veronica and Jason. But you can if you want to.”

“Okay, I’ll remember that.” Toni felt like she was blushing a little, not even really realizing that she’d begun to say the nickname while they were having sex. “Apparently during sex, I can’t be bothered with full names.” She laughed, a little embarrassed, but Cheryl just smiled, closing her eyes and looking so relaxed. “Although, I didn’t really think that you were the kind of person who loved nicknames.”

“Why not?” Cheryl wondered.

Toni shrugged a little. “I don’t know, just an impression I got that was wrong, I guess. Well, I knew about Bombshell, but since you picked that one out for yourself, I guess I figured there wasn’t anything else. And I didn’t think you liked _Red_ very much.”

“Well… yeah, I don’t know. Cher is what Jason and my friends sometimes call me. Coining ‘Cheryl Bombshell’ maybe wasn’t my best idea. I never disliked Red, though. I actually kind of found it endearing,” Cheryl admitted, getting a smile from Toni. “As far as calling people nicknames, I call Jason JJ. He’s pretty much the only one. Except for, obviously, people like Sweet Pea and Jughead and stuff. Veronica goes by Ronnie sometimes, but I never thought we were close enough for me to call her that.”

“Well, you know,” Toni started, “Toni is a nickname.” That got Cheryl’s attention, and her dark eyes fluttered open as she pulled back a little, looking surprised.

“Really?”

“Yeah, but once I tell you what it’s short for, you better not ever repeat it.” Cheryl nodded immediately. “It’s Antoinette.”

Cheryl looked at her thoughtfully. “Antoinette…”

Toni’s jaw dropped and she playfully pushed Cheryl back down onto the bed. “I said don’t repeat it!”

“I just wanted to try saying it,” Cheryl insisted with a little laugh. She curled up next to Toni, who felt herself relax a lot. “I can see why you prefer Toni. You’re not an Antoinette.”

“No, I’m not.” After a moment of silence, she decided to explain the name. “My dad’s name is Antony. My parents named me after him. He went by Ant normally, that’s what I always heard him called. When I was really little, they would go back and forth between calling me Ann and Toni, but I started introducing myself as Toni as soon as I was old enough to understand that my name was a play off my dad’s. I didn’t want my name to give away who I was to him, because… he was a horrible dad.”

Cheryl’s arms squeezed Toni a little. “How old were you? When your parents got arrested.”

“Eleven. Almost twelve.” After a second, she added, “I was happy they were gone.”

“But you must’ve been hurt, too,” Cheryl whispered.

Toni stared up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking about Cheryl’s point. “I guess so. I was always mad at them. I was happy they got put away because they deserved it. But they left me with my shitty uncle, which was better, but not by much. I found my family in the Serpents and did my best to forget my parents.”

“You know,” Cheryl murmured, “I admire how strong you are, Toni.”

Toni hummed in response, feeling strangely at peace despite the conversation. “Thanks.” Cheryl didn’t say anything else, and Toni started to play with her hair when she realized that the girl was dozing off. They laid there for about ten minutes before Toni realized that she should let Sweet Pea know that she wouldn’t be back at Sunnyside tonight. She carefully pulled away from Cheryl, hoping not to wake her, but apparently, she hadn’t been that deeply asleep, because her eyes opened immediately, and she looked at Toni sleepily. “Sorry, I just realized I should probably text Sweets and let him know not to expect me back at the trailer.”

“Okay,” Cheryl murmured, releasing her. Toni reached for her phone, quickly typing out a message to her best friend.

**Toni – Don’t expect me back tonight btw, I’m at Cheryl’s.**

When she set her phone down and rolled over again to face Cheryl, the Northsider was suddenly climbing on top of her, her eyes staring at Toni with something… different in her expression.

“Whoa,” Toni whispered, chuckling a little, “I thought you were about to fall asleep.”

“I am, but…”

“What?”

Cheryl hesitated. “I just wanted to know… what are we?”

Toni felt her heart skip a beat as she realized what was happening. She’d basically decided not to think too hard about this whole relationship thing and defining it as anything until Cheryl was ready, but she hadn’t really thought that would be anytime soon, for some reason. Toni brought her hands up to Cheryl’s face, wondering if she was somehow dreaming. “What are you asking, Bombshell?”

“Just… I really like you, and I…” Toni waited patiently for a response, stroking Cheryl’s cheeks with her thumbs. Cheryl kept staring at her though, and no words came from her gorgeous lips.

“And you…?” Toni tried to prompt. Cheryl just kept staring at her, and Toni could feel how fast the other girl’s heart was racing. “And you… wanna be my girlfriend?” Toni finally gave in.

Cheryl blushed as she whispered, “Yes.”

“So…” Toni started to trail her hands around to Cheryl’s back. “Why don’t you ask for what you want?” Toni suggested teasingly, bringing her hands down to Cheryl’s ass and squeezing it gently. Cheryl inhaled sharply.

“Can I be your girlfriend?” Cheryl whispered.

“You can,” Toni confirmed with a chuckle, “if I can be yours…”

“Deal,” Cheryl murmured cutely, leaning down to press a kiss to Toni’s lips. Toni felt her heart soar as she kissed her _girlfriend_ back deeply, her hands still fondling her perfect ass. Toni wasn’t sure she could’ve asked for a more perfect night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I really wanted to highlight some "never before seen" moments of Toni opening up to Cheryl about the hardships of the Serpents and things... in What A Time, we see Cheryl acknowledging them and saying that she knows Toni is always safe, but we never see Toni actually telling her much about them. In my mind, she would've filled her in in between, so I made sure to include some of that here, because this version is supposed to be more about Toni. And it's kind of tough sometimes, since the plot of the story was written to be from Cheryl's POV, I wanted to make sure the whole Toni POV version doesn't just feel like it's about Cheryl. So I hope that added bit along with exploring more of Toni's emotions regarding defining her relationship with Cheryl, etc, felt natural and like the story is more focused on Toni!
> 
> Anyway! I'm trying to get a new story going (because I'm desperately wanting to write all the time but I don't have any current WIPs that I want to work on) and I wrote a really cute one shot on Thursday night trying to get some inspiration. So I don't know when I will post that, we'll see! For now, though, we'll just keep on going with the update schedule for this story, soooo! That means I will see you all on Monday with the next chapter! Thank you all so much for the comments, tweets, and DMs, I really appreciate them <3
> 
> I hope you all are having a great weekend! I will see you all in two days to brighten up your Monday!


	17. a place where i can go, finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity moves out, meaning that Toni gets to move in to her new place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gooood evening everyone!  
> A big chapter to end your Monday! Sorry this is probably coming too late for European folks, unfortunately I got sidetracked studying for a big exam and then had to make dinner, so this got pushed to the end of the day. I hope it will help to brighten your Tuesday, in that case, if you're reading it on Tuesday <3
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy!xx

The blaring of a phone that Toni didn’t recognize the ringtone of is what woke Toni up on Saturday morning. She also heard Cheryl groaning, and felt her curling up into her, which made Toni realize that the phone must be Cheryl’s. “That’s your phone,” Toni muttered.

“Why would my phone be ringing?” Cheryl mumbled, burying her face into Toni’s boobs. She continued, her voice now muffled, “No one ever calls me.”

“Well, my phone doesn’t make that noise,” Toni muttered. Annoyed at the sound, she pulled her arms away from Cheryl and said, “Answer your phone.”

Cheryl groaned, but sat up and reached for her phone. When she answered the call, she said, “Hey.” Toni could hear some muffled words from the other end of the call, but she couldn’t make them out. “What? No one told me what time we were supposed to be anywhere.”

Toni suppressed a groan as she remembered that she and Cheryl were supposed to be at Sunnyside.

“What time is it? Ugh, give us like twenty minutes to get ready and then we’ll be there.” After a second, Cheryl hung up the phone, and Toni looked up at her innocently. “You didn’t tell me we were supposed to be at Sunnyside before ten!”

“I forgot?” Toni offered, getting an eyeroll from Cheryl. “Okay, to be fair, you very much took over my night last night. I was supposed to tell you to meet us there at nine forty-five.”

“I guess we just have to get ready fast.” She started to get up, but Toni reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer.

“No, wait, I don’t wanna,” she whined. “We’ll just let them do it all.”

Cheryl didn’t sound amused as she said, “I finally got Felicity on my good side, and now you want us to just blow off helping her?” Despite her tone, she laid out next to Toni again anyway. Toni tried not to look smug.

“Okay, no, but just one more minute,” Toni suggested. Cheryl’s hand was running through her hair, and Toni smiled a little, her eyes falling closed.

“Some of your colors are fading.”

“Yeah, I need to gather the energy to actually redo it. It’s a lot of effort. I have a ton of hair.”

“I know the feeling—except I’ve never tried to dye mine.”

“You shouldn’t,” Toni said, “your hair is beautiful.”

Cheryl smiled. “Thank you.” Apparently, the smooth talking could not get Toni out of having to get up, though, because then Cheryl continued, “Come on, Toni, we need to get ready to go to Sunnyside.”

“Fine.”

They both got up and took turns using the bathroom. They both definitely needed showers, but they were running late, so neither of them got the chance. Toni borrowed a little of Cheryl’s makeup—the meager options she could actually use to look a little more put together, at least. They didn’t even have time to get breakfast before they were rushing out of Thornhill.

“You wanna ride with me?” Toni asked. “I can get us there faster.”

“I’ll ignore the obvious challenge you’ve just poised against my car because we’re in a rush,” Cheryl said, lifting an eyebrow. Toni rolled her eyes, getting on her motorcycle and grabbing Cheryl her extra helmet. A moment later, Cheryl was sat behind the Serpent, her arms wrapped around her, and Toni took off toward Sunnyside.

When they arrived at Fangs’ trailer, the whole gang—Fangs, Sweet Pea, Jughead and Felicity were all just hanging out outside.

“Did you guys finish?” Toni called as she put down her helmet.

“No, we haven’t started,” Jughead answered, clearly frustrated. “According to Fangs and Sweet Pea, we couldn’t start until everyone was here.”

“That’s stupid,” Toni deadpanned.

“I agree,” Felicity said, “but Sweets and Fangs agreed to do most of the heavy lifting, so.”

“What sort of heavy lifting do you even have to do?” Jughead demanded.

“Any lifting?” Felicity replied with a shrug. “I might as well use this free labor while I still have access to it. In the city, I’ll be doing everything on my own, including getting all new furniture.”

“Alright, well, we’re here now, so put us to work.”

They all started to work at packing up Felicity’s stuff in the trailer and loading it into her truck. Felicity went to go get said truck, and Cheryl asked about how long she’d had the car. Toni listened as Sweet Pea answered, “She bought it like five months ago, she got it dirt cheap and had to fix it up herself, but now it’s kicking better than it was before.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, “she knew she needed to get a car to actually motivate herself to get out of town, but since she’ll be in the city, she’s probably not gonna be using it much.”

“What is she going to be doing in the city?” Cheryl wondered curiously.

“Honestly,” Sweet Pea said, “she hasn’t really said. I think some of the older Serpents think that she’s gonna end up crawling back in a few months, even more broke than when she left, but us younger Serpents really think she’s got this. Serpents don’t usually get a chance to have a fully-fledged life outside of the gang, but if anyone can do it, she can.”

“Yeah, and those who have in the past have all been men,” Toni added, looking pointedly at Cheryl, “so Felicity is going to be the first to show all the older Serpents that women are just as capable as men.”

“Well, any Serpent who gets out of Riverdale is an outlier,” Sweet Pea argued, “sex doesn’t play a part in it. I guarantee you that no one else is gonna be able to get out of Riverdale for a while.”

Toni resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her best friend, who, despite being very supportive of and open to learning about Toni’s feminism, was sometimes a bit clueless still. But it was actually the second half of his statement that bothered her. Toni hadn’t ever really told her friends any of her life goals, so to speak, but staying in Riverdale forever wasn’t really one of them. At least, if she could, she wanted out. She loved the Serpents, but she’d watched too many people’s lives fall apart here. She wanted a shot at a different life. “You never dream of getting out of here, Sweets?”

He shrugged. “Not really. Why would I want to?”

Silence overtook the three of them as they continued to work on packing up Felicity’s bedroom. Toni set her jaw, trying not to think about the conversation anymore. She kept noticing Cheryl glancing at her curiously, but she did her best to ignore it.

When Felicity did get back, she tried to lighten the tension by asking her what jobs she was going to look for in the city. Felicity said she thought about bartending again, considering that she worked at the White Wyrm as a bartender before Toni did. It did enough to break the tension, thankfully.

They loaded up Felicity’s car and then decided to go get pizza for lunch, where they also saw Joaquin. Everyone talked about their favorite memories with Felicity, and Cheryl just listened and observed. Toni worried for a few minutes at the start of the meal that she felt out of place, but she seemed pretty relaxed, so Toni let it go as she enjoyed this time with her friends _and_ her girlfriend.

“I wish you didn’t have to leave right after the Wyrm tonight,” Fangs said, “we can’t even get drunk, since you have to drive right after.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “You don’t have anything to even get drunk about.”

“Uh, my sister is moving away?”

“You’re not even going to think about it after a few days,” Felicity insisted. “Toni’s going to take my room, you won’t even have an empty trailer.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure once _Toni_ has her own room and bed, you’ll be seeing a _lot_ of Cheryl too,” Sweet Pea reminded Fangs with a grin.

“Oh shut up,” Toni said with an eyeroll, trying not to blush.

“He’s got a point,” Felicity said, “you two do spend a lot of time together.”

Cheryl smiled a little, and Toni just rolled her eyes. “So what?”

“It’s cute,” Felicity answered with a little laugh. “And Toni, when I’m gone you better stay keeping these boys in check.”

“Oh I will,” Toni assured her.

“We don’t need babysitting,” Sweet Pea argued.

Jughead snorted. “Yes, you do.”

“Hey, you’re one to talk,” Fangs snapped at him.

Felicity just rolled her eyes, and she and Toni shared knowing looks, as Cheryl chuckled. For the rest of the lunch, the Serpents went around and said nice things about Felicity, and wished the best for her. They hung out at the pizza place for a while, and then it was time for the Serpents to get ready to go to the Wyrm.

“So, I’ll take Cheryl home and then meet you guys at the Wyrm in a bit?” Toni said, and they all said goodbye.

“Good luck, Felicity,” Cheryl said with a small smile, and Felicity returned it.

“Thanks, Red.”

They climbed back onto Toni’s motorcycle when they left the pizza place, and Toni reveled as always in the feeling of Cheryl’s arms wrapped around her. When they got back to Thornhill, and Cheryl climbed off and took off her helmet, Toni asked, “Do you want me to text you when we’re done at the Wyrm?”

“Sure,” Cheryl agreed.

“Okay,” Toni said with a small smile. “I’ll see you later, then?”

“Definitely.” Cheryl leaned down to press her lips softly to Toni’s as the Serpent sat on her motorcycle. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, and then Cheryl pulled back, leaving Toni wishing she could stay and kiss her girlfriend for longer. After their incredible night last night, the morning had been too rushed, and she wanted more time with the girl. But she had to be headed to the Wyrm now, and Cheryl knew that as she said softly, “Bye, Toni.”

“Bye, Cher,” Toni replied with a sweet smile. She pulled her helmet back on, revved her engine, and headed back toward the Southside.

* * *

Toni didn’t know what she was expecting from the Serpent farewell for Felicity, but it wasn’t what she saw when she got there.

Nothing seemed any different at first, other than some unsavory looks being flashed at Felicity from some of the older Serpents, and Toni found a seat with her friends and Felicity. “So does anyone have any clue about what this actually is?” she asked them.

Felicity shrugged. “No idea, but I’m gonna be honest—I’m just ready for it to be over. This morning and lunch was all I needed. I’m ready to get out of here.” Toni bobbed her head a little, and Felicity nudged her, getting her attention. “Don’t worry, Tiny. I’m not worried about it.”

Toni smiled at her a little, trying to perk up a little. The Wyrm filled up for a few more minutes, and then FP came to the center of the bar and started everything as though it were a regular Serpent meeting. He talked about the Ghoulies and how their lack of leadership was finally starting to set in, and that he expected the unfortunate events of the past couple of weeks to fizzle out soon. He mentioned the lack of jobs as of late as well, and Toni heard some guys talking about everyone needing to tighten their belts. She frowned but kept listening to FP’s announcements.

Finally, he turned and looked toward Felicity. “Now, what we’re all really here for! One of our own, Felicity Fogarty, has decided that she wants to head into the city!”

“Yeah right,” someone muttered, snickering.

“Yeah, see you in a month,” one guy sneered, as another added, “Where’d she get the cash for that anyway?”

“Can’t be much. She’ll blow through it.”

Toni balled her hands into fists, but Felicity just set a hand on her arm. “Calm down, Toni.” Toni glared at the older girl, but before she could argue, FP was taking back the floor.

“Hey now, I don’t want to hear this shit,” he exclaimed. “Felicity has been an integral part of the Serpents, and that doesn’t go away. She will _always_ be a Serpent. That tattoo isn’t going anywhere. She’s welcome back if she ever wants to, but as her family, we support her in whatever she chooses.”

“Family doesn’t leave when things get tough!” one guy barked angrily.

FP glared at him. “Enough. Now, I was thinking those closest to Felicity could say a few words. Fangs?”

Fangs grinned, standing up and facing his sister, who looked surprised at the gesture. “So, I know all of us know Felicity, and we all know her to be a major hard ass with a soft spot for her family. And that’s been true for all the Serpents, but especially for me, as her brother. And she’s always been there for me. So… yeah, you know, you got this, sis. If you _do_ come back, I’ll be expecting it’s with a case of beer.”

There were some laughs, particularly through the friend group and others their age, as well as some eyerolls and sneers from around the bar. FP opened the floor for anyone else to say a few _respectful_ words, and Hog Eye stepped up and said some nice things about Felicity when she was working at the Wyrm. Toni was glad to see one of the older Serpents sticking up for her.

When he finished saying his piece, FP said a few final words about Felicity, and then invited everyone to drink and say their goodbyes. Toni, who didn’t want to drink since she was pretty sure she was going to see Cheryl after this, instead pulled out her joint and lit it as some of the guys grabbed beers. Multiple Serpents, especially the women, came up to Felicity to give her best wishes, even though a few said rude things. Toni only managed to take two hits before she put out the light and tried to force herself to entertain the dumb party for Felicity’s sake.

After a long while, the group finally walked Felicity out to her car. Final hugs and goodbyes were exchanged, and everyone wished her a good luck—to which she told them that they needed it more than her. Toni laughed at that, and when Felicity drove off, she felt pretty sad.

“Good riddance,” an older Serpent—Brent—said, coming out of the bar. Toni spun around and glared at him.

“What the fuck did you say?”

“Toni, calm the hell down,” Fangs snapped at her. Brent just snickered, rolling his eyes and going off toward his bike.

Toni breathed out a long breath as her stomach growled. “You wanna get food or something?” Sweet Pea offered.

“Yeah, but… not with you. No offense.”

“Oh shit, I’ve been meaning to ask you about Cheryl!” Sweet Pea exclaimed. “You two slept in late this morning. What happened last night?”

Toni looked at her best friend with a glare, but then she remembered that she would update Sweet Pea as soon as her relationship status officially changed. She let out a breath, temporarily forgetting about the drama with the Serpent meeting. “She asked me. You know, to be girlfriends.”

“Holy shit, Tiny, that’s awesome!” Sweet Pea exclaimed. “I’m happy for you. Really.”

Toni smiled. “Thanks, Sweets. I really should text Cheryl, though. I told her I would.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Toni wandered over to her motorcycle, sitting on the edge of the seat as she texted her girlfriend.

**Toni – We’re done at the Wyrm, Felicity is officially off to NY to go check in to her motel.**

**Cheryl – Okay! Did you want to come to Thornhill?**

**Toni – I’m actually kind of in the mood to be out and about. Can we go to Pop’s?**

**Cheryl – Sure, dinner sounds good about now. Want to meet me there?**

**Toni – Yeah :)**

* * *

Toni got to Pop’s first, and when she got there, she immediately lit her joint again. She couldn’t stop thinking about the Serpents and how few of them actually supported Felicity, and the fact that Sweet Pea had no idea that Toni herself wanted to leave this place one day. It was bothering her more than it probably should.

She took two hits before she saw the red Chevy Impala pulling into the lot.

“Hey,” Cheryl greeted her when she got out of her car.

“Hey,” Toni answered. She took one more, long hit before she put out her light and slipped the joint back away in her pocket. “Sorry. After the pasta few hours, I needed it.”

“What happened?” Cheryl asked, clearly concerned.

“I’ll tell you once we’re sitting down.”

They walked into Pop’s and seated themselves before ordering their usual burgers and fries and milkshakes. Once their milkshakes were delivered, Toni finally started to explain to Cheryl what happened.

“Okay, so, the ritualistic goodbye thing was sort of BS. It was basically just a normal Serpent meeting, but the people closest to Felicity got to say public goodbyes. But, damn, it’s like Sweet Pea said earlier, some of the older Serpents were so terrible to her for leaving. They kept saying things about seeing her soon, and how she’s just gonna go blow all her cash and come back looking to rejoin. FP even tried to shut some of them up by reminding them that she wasn’t _resigning_ from the Serpents, and that she’s always welcome back. But she knows that if she comes back, she’s going to get shit from those guys.”

Cheryl frowned. “I’m sorry. Was Felicity upset?”

Toni sighed. “Not really.”

“Then why are you so upset?” Cheryl wondered.

“It was just… annoying. Whatever. I don’t want to think about it. What were you up to?”

“Veronica, Betty, and I went shopping for your new room.”

“Oh, right. So, did you pick out all my decorations?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t get too much, don’t worry. Just the basics. A rug, curtains, bedding, a lamp, and a table runner for your dresser. It’s not a lot. I just…” She trailed off a little, staring at Toni for a moment. “…want you to feel at home in your new room. I know it’s been a while since you could really feel at home somewhere.”

Toni smiled easily for the first time in a few hours, hardly able to comprehend right now that Cheryl had done all that for her. “That’s really sweet. Thank you.”

“Of course. I think you’re going to like the color scheme. I’m excited to help you move in tomorrow.”

“I’m excited, too,” Toni admitted, trying to think more positively. “It is going to be crazy to get a room to myself. And it’s actually going to be nice sharing a bathroom with Fangs. He’s surprisingly very neat. I think Felicity groomed him that way.”

“That’s good.”

Toni took in a breath. “So what’d you do after shopping?”

“Went back to Veronica’s. The three of us just hung out, watching TV and stuff.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow at her girlfriend, thinking about how far she’d come from how she used to talk about her friends. “Wow, I’m impressed, Red.”

“With what?” Cheryl demanded, her eyebrows furrowed. “The fact that I hung out with my friends?”

“Sorry,” Toni said with a small smile, “I just meant… a couple months ago, you didn’t even think you could have fun without Heather being there. And now, yesterday you had dinner with Sweets and Fangs and Felicity, and today you hung out with Betty and Veronica.”

“Yeah, yeah, you were right back then. I never needed her to have fun.”

“That’s right,” Toni said, although that wasn’t exactly what she’d been trying to say. She just smiled at her girlfriend though, as they sipped their milkshakes and their food arrived. And there was a comfortable silence between them as they ate their dinner that evening. Just being around Cheryl relaxed Toni.

They went back to Thornhill after dinner at Pop’s. The house didn’t seem to be empty, but no one noticed them enter and scurry up to Cheryl’s room, so it seemed fine. They locked themselves into the room, and Toni sprawled across Cheryl’s bed, remembering that morning.

“I can’t believe that after last night, we didn’t even get to stay in and cuddle this morning,” Toni complained.

“Yeah, that wasn’t exactly ideal,” Cheryl agreed with a chuckle. “But I’m glad we got to hang out with you friends and Felicity.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed. “I just can’t believe she wasn’t more upset about the stupid going away party. I mean, to be fair, I think she was just trying to get through it. You know? But I just wanted to knock some of those guys’ teeth out. They were being so awful to her.”

“Yeah, knocking people’s teeth out is probably a good thing to avoid, though.”

Toni rolled her eyes at Cheryl, who was now seated at the head of the bed, against the mess of pillows that looked the same as they had when they left this morning. “Yeah, well, it’s hard to hold back sometimes. But Felicity has always been scary good at just ignoring when people have shit things to say. I’m not as much like that. I always wanted to be more like her in that way, though.”

“You looked up to her,” Cheryl extrapolated.

“Hell yes,” Toni said with a nod. “We were actually really good friends when I was little. Well—from my eyes. I think sometimes she just sort of tolerated me—you know, her little brother’s friend who wouldn’t stop following her around. I wanted to be just like her, I thought she was so cool. I definitely opened up to her more than she ever did to me, but… I like to think we were pretty good friends at one point. And then when I got older, she really became like an older sister figure. When she graduated high school, that relationship kind of disappeared a little bit, because she was trying to get her shit together so she could leave. You know, she’s been getting ready for today for _years_. I think Fangs thought she would give up eventually, but I always knew she’d do it.”

Cheryl hummed thoughtfully, reaching down and playing with some of Toni’s hair. “It makes total sense why you’re upset then. You know?”

“Yeah, but everyone’s acting like I’m crazy.”

“Well, you’re not.”

Toni blew out a long breath. “Thanks.”

Cheryl’s fingers twisted around Toni’s hair. “You need a distraction?” Toni peered at her girlfriend, nodding just slightly. Cheryl grinned, and suddenly she was climbing on top of Toni, pressing their lips together in a hot kiss. Toni kissed her back fervently, wrapping her hands to the back of Cheryl’s neck.

After a while of kissing, Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni and just cuddled up to her, bringing a smile to Toni’s face.

“So,” Toni heard herself saying, “I told Sweets that we are… you know, official and all that. He’s really happy about it. Like, too happy. He got really invested.”

Cheryl smiled, burying her face into Toni’s neck. “He’s sweet.”

“Yeah, sometimes the nickname makes a little sense.”

“I told Jason,” Cheryl admitted.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mmhmm. He’s happy that I’m happy,” Cheryl said softly.

“I’m glad, Cher,” Toni whispered.

Cheryl hummed happily, nuzzling Toni’s neck a little and tickling her slightly. Toni laughed a little and turned her head, pressing a kiss to Cheryl’s forehead. After a while of laying there, Toni decided that the day called for just a few more hits from her joint—she wasn’t feeling high enough considering the day’s events.

“Mm, do you mind if I smoke a little?” Toni murmured.

“Okay,” Cheryl agreed, “just, we should open the window first.”

“Of course,” Toni agreed. She pulled away from Cheryl gently and went over to her bedroom window, figuring out how to open it before settling onto the little couch in front of it. As she pulled out her joint and her lighter, Cheryl came over and joined her on the couch, snatching the lit joint from her before she could even get one hit. Toni bit down on her lower lip as Cheryl wrapped her red painted lips around it, sucking in. Toni took it back afterward, her eyes trained on Cheryl the whole time she took her own hit.

“I hope Jason won’t be able to smell it.”

“You don’t think Jason’s ever smoked?” Toni wondered.

“No,” Cheryl answered, lifting an eyebrow.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of the weed that the Serpents sell goes to a couple of guys on the football team,” Toni admitted with a chuckle.

“Well, I can’t picture Jason smoking.”

“I bet he can’t picture you doing it either. You couldn’t even picture you doing it a couple months ago.”

“Yeah, I get it, you’ve turned me into a druggie,” Cheryl said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“It’s just weed. Everyone needs it in their life,” Toni teased with a laugh. “Anyway. I think it’s hot when you take a drag.” Cheryl lifted an eyebrow at her girlfriend, who just grinned.

A little while later found them both getting ready for bed in Cheryl’s bathroom, stripping down to their underwear before pulling on some sleep t-shirts and shorts and crawling into Cheryl’s big bed. They curled up together, Toni feeling so much more peaceful than earlier, and promptly fell asleep together.

* * *

“Toni… Hey, Toni.”

Toni groaned, feeling herself start to emerge from sleep. “What?” she mumbled.

“Wake up,” Cheryl coaxed gently, “it’s an exciting day today.”

“No,” Toni whined, pulling the covers up over as much of her face as she could with her eyes closed.

Cheryl’s fingers ran through some of Toni’s hair. “Aren’t you excited to move in today?”

Toni finally forced her eyes open as she realized what day it was. “Oh, yeah,” she agreed, rolling onto her back and rubbing her eyes tiredly. “What time is it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Cheryl admitted. Toni blinked a few times as Cheryl rolled over, grabbing their phones from her nightstand. She handed Toni hers and then said, “A little after nine.”

“Yeah,” Toni mumbled, now looking at her phone screen with squinted eyes as well. “Why are we already awake? It’s Sunday.”

“I just woke up,” Cheryl answered with an eyeroll, “come on, Toni. I’ll make you breakfast.”

“What’re you going to make?” Toni wondered, dropping her phone next to her and curling into her girlfriend and closing her eyes. Cheryl sighed, but started to play with Toni’s hair.

“Eggs?” Toni nodded a little. “Bacon, too?” Toni nodded again, a small smile appearing on her lips. “If I get up and start cooking for you, will you wake up when it’s ready?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Okay, fine,” Cheryl said, starting to pull away from Toni, who immediately frowned and wrapped her arms tightly around Cheryl.

“Wait,” she whined, “just one more minute.”

After five minutes or so of Cheryl entertaining Toni’s whines for more cuddles, she actually did get up and start to get ready, before finally heading downstairs to make breakfast. Toni sighed, alone in Cheryl’s bed, and rolled over to look at the ceiling. She could get used to this—waking up next to Cheryl in the mornings. Even if Cheryl was apparently obsessed with getting up early.

She finally picked her phone back up and checked her texts from her friends. Sweet Pea had texted her, making fun of her for staying over at Cheryl’s for the second night in a row. It made Toni feel a little embarrassed, and she wondered if it seemed like she was taking advantage of her girlfriend’s amazing bedroom.

When Cheryl walked into the room with two full plates of breakfast, she greeted, “Good morning, sleepy head.” She closed the door behind her, and Toni looked up at Cheryl with a soft smile.

“Morning. Thank you for making breakfast, I really shouldn’t have let you do that for me.”

“Why not?” She handed one of the plates to Toni as she sat on her bed. “I didn’t mind, really. I know you had an emotional day yesterday.”

“Well… thanks. Just, you let me stay here two nights in a row, and you bought decorations for my room yesterday…” She hadn’t even considered the money that must’ve caught—she’d been too caught up in the fact that Cheryl had wanted to decorate the space. She felt a little bit of guilt in the pit of her stomach all of the sudden.

“Oh,” Cheryl said, a serious expression coming over her face as she seemed to contemplate what to say or do at this point.

“You know what,” Toni said quickly, “it’s fine. Just… let me repay you, okay? With… a date. Next weekend. On Friday, because I’m scheduled to work Saturday and Sunday next weekend.”

“Okay,” Cheryl agreed with a smile, “sounds good to me.”

* * *

On their way out of Thornhill, about an hour later, Penelope Blossom made an appearance, much to Toni’s dismay.

“Well,” she said, “if it isn’t my disobedient, always _absent_ daughter. I swear I’ve only seen you a handful of times in _weeks_.”

“Have you considered, Mumsie, that that’s intentional on my end?” Cheryl snapped, surprising Toni a little with her harsh tone. “Move out of our way, we were just leaving.”

“I cannot believe you had the audacity to bring this filth back into our home,” Penelope snapped. “When your father hears about this—”

“He’ll what?” Cheryl demanded. “All of your threats are empty, mother. Now if you’ll excuse me, my _girlfriend_ and I have somewhere to be.”

Toni sucked in a deep breath at Cheryl’s statement. “What—” Penelope couldn’t even seem to finish her own sentence, her jaw dropping as she realized what Cheryl had said. Toni was mentally preparing herself for Cheryl’s mother to explode—or worse—but then Cheryl was grabbing her hand and pulling her around the older woman, rushing them outside.

“Hurry, we need to leave before she gets any ideas. I’ll meet you at Fangs’?”

“Yeah, see you there,” Toni agreed. Cheryl pecked her quickly on the lips before Toni climbed on her motorcycle and Cheryl into her car. Just as they both started driving off, the front door swung open and Penelope started shouting. Toni revved her engine loudly, smirking a little as she sped off.

Toni made to the trailer park a few minutes ahead of Cheryl after a red light split them up, so she parked her bike and popped her head into Fangs’ trailer. “Hey, Tiny!” Fangs greeted, sitting at the little dining table with a bowl of cereal.

“Hey,” she returned with a smile, “Cheryl’s going to be here in a minute, but I’m just going to run over to Sweets’ place and get my shit.”

“Alright!”

She left the trailer again and walked over to Sweet Pea’s place, where she found the whole family in pajamas, having a late breakfast.

“There she is,” Vic said with a smile in Toni’s direction. “Excited to move out?”

Toni returned the smile. “I’m really so grateful you guys have let me stay here,” Toni told him.

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Vic insisted. “You’ve helped Noah with his homework since… forever. So I can’t really complain about having you around.”

Noah looked pointedly at Toni. “You’re still going to help me with it, right?”

“Of course, kid. You know I’m only like, a minute walk away.”

“And you’ll bring Cheryl?” he added, lifting an eyebrow.

Toni grinned a little. “I’m sure she’ll be around.”

“Why are you smiling like that?” Noah demanded.

“Like what?”

Sweet Pea smirked. “I think he means like an idiot, Tiny.”

“Shut up,” Toni snapped at her best friend.

Vic laughed at the two of them. “You want some breakfast, Toni?”

“Oh, no, thank you though. I ate at, ah, Cheryl’s,” Toni admitted, hoping she wasn’t blushing. “She’s waiting for me at Fangs’—I mean… I guess at _my_ new place. So I should probably just grab my stuff and get going.”

“Alright. But do you mind if I have a word with you quickly, Toni?” Vic asked.

“Of course not,” Toni said quickly. Vic nodded, standing up from the table and opening the front door. They slipped outside and he closed the door, the two of them stepping down onto the grass. “What’s up?”

“Just wanted to check in. You know, I didn’t want to try and be an… authority figure while you were living here. It really wasn’t an issue or a hassle or anything, even if you think it was. My boys love you, you know that,” Vic said with a nod. Toni nodded in response. “But yeah, you were talking about that Northsider, and Sweet Pea hasn’t exactly mentioned anything about her, but…”

“Oh—Cheryl, yeah,” Toni said with a quick nod. “Yeah….”

“Well, I remember that you said she was straight, and nothing was going on and all that,” Vic said, giving her a small smile, “and I just want to make sure that you’re doing okay. You know… that you’re making all the best decisions.”

Toni shoved her hands into her jacket pocket. She wasn’t used to adult figures trying to offer her advice or check in with her, so she was trying to feel appreciative, but she couldn’t help but feel slightly defensive. “Cheryl is… different… from any other Northsider I’ve ever met,” Toni admitted. “I heard you, and everyone, who told me to be careful with her and everything but… I feel like she gets me. Even when she doesn’t—or she _can’t_ —she somehow… does anyway. And she is definitely _not_ straight, don't worry.”

“And she’s in the loop? About everything in your life, the Serpents, your parents, all that?” Vic asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Toni chewed on the inside of her cheek. “She is. Getting more in there, too. And she… respects Southsiders, and Serpents. Maybe she didn’t a few months ago, but she’s learned a lot. She’s willing to learn. You know?”

“That’s good,” Vic said with approval. “And how about this moving out situation? Sweet Pea said that FP is keeping that place paid for, for you and Fogarty?”

“Yep,” Toni confirmed with a nod. “Yeah. Plus, I make enough to pay what FP is asking me to contribute. He’s reasonable, as always. I think it’ll be good to have my own room again, and one I don’t have to worry about having access to.”

Vic nodded again. “Good. Yeah, I agree. You’re almost eighteen, doesn’t fit for you to be sleeping on a couch in a house full of stupid boys.” Toni smiled a little.

“I really to appreciate you letting me stay here,” Toni told him. “Thank you. For that and… you know, looking out for me, even beforehand.”

“Always, kid,” Vic said with a smile. “And this _Cheryl_ … if you think she’s good enough for you, and Sweet Pea and everyone else thinks so too, I guess I’ve got a thing or two to learn from you kids.” He grinned widely, and Toni blushed a little. “Speaking of, I guess I should let you get your stuff so you’re not leaving your girl waiting.”

Toni was definitely blushing now as the two of them walked back into the trailer. Sweet Pea gave Toni a funny look, but Toni just hurried to grab her things. Most of them were already in her bags, and anything that wasn’t she shoved into one of the two bags she had. As she hoisted them over her shoulders, Sweet Pea said, “Hey, I’m gonna be over there in a while, okay?”

“Okay,” Toni agreed with a nod. She thought for a second about having her own room, and how Cheryl was waiting for her there. “Text me before, though.”

He smirked. “Sure, Tiny.”

Toni walked over to Fangs’ trailer— _her_ trailer—and let herself in. “Hey,” Toni called, assuming Cheryl had arrived by now. She heard the shower running as well. “Sorry,” she continued as she started toward her room at the end of the hall, “I figured I should just go get all my stuff so that we could do everything at—” She froze suddenly as she walked into the room, taking in a surprising scene—her room was entirely decorated. Her bed was made up with a lavender comforter and fancy blue pillows, an extra blue blanket, and a bed skirt, and matching curtains hung around her small window. A table runner was across her dresser, and there was a soft looking rug spread across the floor. A fancy lamp sat on her nightstand. The whole room was themed purple and blue, and gave Toni a feeling of warmth as she took it all in. “Whoa. You already did all this…”

“Well, I figured I should be doing something while I was waiting,” Cheryl reasoned. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah,” Toni answered, grinning. “I do. You picked a good color scheme. Thank you.” She dropped her duffle and her backpack on the floor as she smiled at her girlfriend.

“Do you want me to help with that?” Cheryl wondered, as Toni crouched by the bags and started to unzip them.

“No, I’ve got it,” Toni answered, looking over at the beautiful girl, “you can just keep sitting there and looking pretty.” She started to put her clothes away, feeling Cheryl’s eyes on her.

“Was Noah sad to see you go?”

Toni chuckled. “Yeah, but I had to remind him that I’m literally a minute walk away, and then he was more okay with it.”

“How old do kids have to be before they become a Serpent?” Cheryl wondered, surprising Toni.

“It’s kind of different depending on the situation. I told you that girls can do the initiation anytime between sixteen and eighteen and still technically be in the gang until then. For guys, the age is a little younger. If they are a legacy Serpent, like Sweets or Noah, they can do their initiation at fourteen at the earliest. And if they haven’t done it by sixteen, they’re sort of like… forced to do it, or else they risk getting kicked out. But whenever someone joins, they need to do the initiation pretty much immediately. Like Jughead did. And usually, unless you’re a legacy Serpent or in a really shitty situation, you can’t join until you’re about fourteen or fifteen.”

“It seems so complicated,” Cheryl noted.

Toni shrugged, laughing a little at Cheryl’s analysis. “We don’t get many new members very often. Maybe a couple of times a year, someone will show up wanting to be in the gang, but usually they’re in their twenties, after some plan A they had failed.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Toni glanced over at Cheryl, curious about her girlfriend’s inquiries. “Why so many questions, Bombshell?”

“Just curious,” Cheryl answered. “Noah just seems so young. I can’t picture him wearing a Serpent jacket.”

Toni smiled, going back to putting away her clothes. Her thoughts immediately trailed back to when she got her own Serpent jacket, from Vic. She told Cheryl, “I remember when I got my jacket. I probably would’ve gotten my mom’s or my dad’s, if they’d stuck around, but my uncle threw out all of their Serpent stuff when he got custody of me. By the time I’d crashed at Sweet Pea’s a few times, his dad asked me why I didn’t have my jacket yet, and I told him I thought I wasn’t old enough yet. He said that was bullshit, there wasn’t any point in making me wait till I was sixteen to just get a jacket, and he brought me to FP and a few days later, I had a shiny new Serpent jacket.”

“And you got your Serpent tattoo after doing your initiation? When you turned sixteen?”

“Yep,” Toni confirmed.

“When do you turn eighteen?” Cheryl wondered.

Toni glanced over at Cheryl curiously. “A couple months from now. In June.”

“Are you excited?”

Toni shrugged, not really feeling much about it now. She already had her own place and a job. There wasn’t much else that eighteen could bring. “I guess? It doesn’t really mean much, honestly, considering… everything.”

“Right, yeah.”

Toni looked back at her girlfriend and lifted an eyebrow. “When do you turn eighteen?”

“September.”

“Cool, so I have time to save up for a gift for you,” she joked. She expected Cheryl to say something in response to that, but she was surprised when the girl stayed silent. “Are _you_ excited to be eighteen?”

“Yeah, so I can officially be on my own, definitely. But, for Jason it means a lot more than for me.” Toni gave her a quizzical look, and Cheryl explained, “You know, he was the one they wanted. But they got us both. If we’d both been boys, there would’ve been some extra process to determine who was going to get to inherit everything, but since I’m a girl, well, I bet you can guess who’s next in line for the maple syrup business.”

“That sucks,” Toni said, frowning. “So you don’t get anything?”

“No, I do get a claim to the business, so to speak. I’ll be next up to inherit it until Jason has kids. I’ll get a certain percent of the profits as well, as all Blossoms do. So at least there will be a flow of income from there, basically indefinitely, as long as I don’t get disowned,” Cheryl answered, “which, now that I’ve said it, does seem like a possibility.”

“You really think your parents would disown you?”

Cheryl shrugged. “No, probably not. If they did, it would be admitting that they’d done something wrong in raising me. At least, that’s how they would think it would look. My extended family would look down on them for failing to raise a child worth staying in the family. If that makes sense.”

“Your family sounds like they literally came from medieval Europe,” Toni commented, closing her dresser drawers, having finished putting away her clothes.

“Don’t they?” Cheryl agreed. Toni set her empty duffle and her backpack on top of her dresser, and then turned to again face Cheryl, who gave her a sweet smile. “So, how does it feel? Having your own room again?”

Toni grinned. “Feels great.” Her eyes raked over her girlfriend, who was lounging, relaxed, on Toni’s new bedspread. “I’m especially excited to be able to do one thing in particular.” Toni turned around, closing her bedroom door and locking it. When she turned around, Cheryl’s bottom lip was between her teeth.

“What’s that?” Cheryl murmured.

Toni slipped off her shoes and crawled onto her bed. She straddled Cheryl’s lap, and heard the Northsider’s shoes fall onto the floor. Toni brought her lips to Cheryl’s, feeling her girlfriend’s hands on her waist. Toni kissed her slowly but deeply, and Cheryl hummed into the kiss. Her hands started to slide underneath Toni’s shirt, pulling her closer. Toni moaned a little, tangling her hands into Cheryl’s soft hair.

Suddenly, everything was speeding and heating up. Clothes began to be torn off. Cheryl was making needy noises, and so once she was naked, Toni crawled down her body, pressing hot, wet kisses all along her body. She stopped at her boobs and sucked a mark into the flawless skin there. Cheryl’s fingers wove into Toni’s hair, and she pushed Toni down toward her center. Toni couldn’t help the low chuckle that escaped her lips as she finally came to Cheryl’s center.

She pressed her tongue against Cheryl’s clit without hesitation, and Cheryl immediately gasped, her hips jerking. Toni continued to lick at Cheryl’s sensitive areas, her fingers sliding easily inside her girlfriend. She kept everything fast, aching to make Cheryl come on her new bed. Cheryl’s back arched as Toni pulsed in and out of her, her fingers curling purposefully inside of her. She could tell that Cheryl was holding in as much of her sounds as she could, but the slight gasps that did escape were unmistakable.

Toni was pretty sure that Cheryl was about to come when, suddenly, she heard the front door of the trailer open. Toni’s fingers froze as she heard Sweet Pea call, “Fangs? Toni?” _Well,_ Toni thought, _I guess I missed his text_.

Cheryl whimpered, and Toni blew out a quick breath, not wanting to deny her girlfriend when she’d gotten so close. She resumed her actions, and Cheryl orgasmed almost immediately, throwing her hand over her mouth, thankfully coming very quietly.

“Hey,” Fangs was saying outside the door, “I think Toni and Cheryl are in her room…”

Toni quickly pulled out of Cheryl and jumped off of the bed, grabbing their clothes off the floor and throwing Cheryl’s to her. She couldn’t stop grinning, despite herself.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Cheryl demanded, her breathing still heavy and fast.

“It’s funny,” Toni insisted.

Cheryl rolled her eyes but started to slip on her underwear and the rest of her clothes. Toni was already dressed, and she waited for Cheryl to be as well, and then she unlocked the door and the two of them walked out into the living area.

Fangs and Sweet Pea were both there looking at them, the former with a smirk on his face. “Couldn’t wait more than ten minutes?” he asked Toni.

“Um, I’m going to use the bathroom…” Cheryl murmured, quickly turning and pushing into the bathroom.

Toni was sure she was blushing a little. “So this is what I should get used to then?” Fangs asked, amused, as Toni went to the kitchen and washed her hands.

“Yep, and I’ll get used to hearing you and Joaquin hook up.”

“Touché, I guess…”

“Can we see what Cheryl did with your room, or is it totally defiled?” Sweet Pea wondered.

They heard the toilet flush in the bathroom as Toni said, “It’s fine, come on and look.” As they walked back toward the bedroom, Cheryl slipped out of the bathroom.

“You like it?” she asked the boys.

“It’s surprisingly girly,” Sweet Pea observed.

“It’s not _that_ girly,” Cheryl defended, getting a chuckle from Toni.

“It’s just purple, Sweet Pea. Stop gendering colors.”

“Personally, I love it. It matches Toni’s hair,” Fangs chimed in.

Cheryl smiled at that, and Toni was happy to see that she was pleased about everyone's thoughts on her design choices. Honestly, Toni was just happy to have any decorations at all. “Well, I’m glad you like it. Betty, Veronica, and I picked all the stuff out yesterday.”

“I really want to feel the bedding—it looks soft,” Sweet Pea started, “but knowing what just went on in here, I think it’s best we go back to the living room…”

Toni rolled her eyes, playfully shoving both the boys out of the room. The four of them entered the living room again, and Toni asked them, “So, we drinking to celebrate, or what?”

“Thankfully, my sister was nice enough to help me stock up on beers before she left,” Fangs exclaimed, opening up the fridge and pulling out four beers. “To Toni moving in!”

“Cheers!” they all exclaimed.

Cheryl only drank about half of her beer, and Toni wasn’t sure why she wasn’t drinking more as they all hung out until a few hours later, when the redhead excused herself for the day and headed back to Thornhill. Toni was sad to see her go already, but she knew that it was Sunday, and that they both had school the next day. Toni gave her girlfriend a goodbye kiss and promised that she would see Cheryl on Friday, at the latest.

When Cheryl left for the day, Toni was immediately being bombarded with questions by her new roommate, who hadn’t been clued into Toni’s newly defined relationship.

“So,” he started, “you and Cheryl are pretty serious…”

“She asked me on Friday,” Toni said, “to be her girlfriend.”

“She asked _you_?” Fangs asked, impressed.

“Mmhmm,” Toni answered, smiling a little. “I was going to wait for her to. I didn’t want to… rush her, I guess. This is sort of new for her.”

“Well, seems like she’s gotten the hang of it,” Fangs joked.

Sweet Pea smirked. “I don’t think we have evidence of that, pretty sure Cheryl was on the bottom today.”

“Dude!” Toni exclaimed. “Shut up, you don’t get to hear about me and my girlfriend’s sex life. TMI, remember?”

“It’s so cute hearing you say your girlfriend, aww,” Fangs teased.

Sweet Pea smirked as Toni rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re secretly so soft, who would’ve known?” He laughed a little, and then asked, “Oh hey, what’d my dad talk to you about earlier? Seemed like he had something serious to say or something.”

“Ooh, Toni got a dad talk from Vic?” Fangs wondered.

Toni shrugged. “He just wanted to check in. Make sure I’m doing okay.”

“Check in about Cheryl, right?” Sweet Pea asked. “He wasn’t too on board with the idea of you dating a Northsider.”

“Yeah well, I told him that I understood why he was worried, but I’m not worried. And he respects that. Plus, he’s not my dad, and he knows that. But I do appreciate him trying to make sure I’m okay,” Toni said with a shrug. “But I don’t need parental advice.”

Fangs hummed. “I’d like some parental advice sometimes. Maybe I should hit up Vic.”

“Well, for the record, I think you and Cheryl is a good idea,” Sweet Pea said with an approving nod. “She fits in well, surprisingly.”

“I agree. And you seem happy, Tiny.”

Toni blushed a little, taking a drink of her beer. “Thanks. But you’re both still losers.”

“Love you, too, soft little Toni,” Fangs teased.

Toni rolled her eyes, her cheeks still warm. Maybe she was soft for Cheryl—and what was wrong with that?

* * *

**Cheryl – Made it home. My mother is being horrible.**

**Toni – Are you okay??**

**Cheryl – Yeah. I managed to get out of talking to her any more than a handful of minutes. But she’s angry, I can tell. Hopefully a little bit of time will cool her down. Usually, lying low for a while helps.**

**Toni – Hope it doesn’t take long. I’m sorry, babe.**

**Cheryl – Me too, thanks. No need to be sorry, though, you didn’t do anything.**

**Toni – Isn’t she mad because of us, though?**

**Cheryl – That’s not your fault.**

**Toni – I know… but I’m sorry she’s so horrible.**

**Cheryl – It’s okay. She’s an absolute monster, but fortunately, I’m used to it. I’ll manage.**

**Toni – I know. But I’ve got your back, babe.**

**Cheryl – I know. Thank you :)**

**Toni – Of course <3**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think my favorite part of this chapter is Noah saying "Why are you smiling like that?" and Toni asking "Like what?" and Sweet Pea just "I think he means like an idiot, Tiny." Reading it back made me giggle hahaha.  
> I hope you guys liked the filled in scene from Saturday night in Cheryl's bedroom! That was one that I was excited to fill in because I remember thinking "I wish I had the energy to write this whole scene" when I wrote it in What A Time, and I ended up just brushing over it because it also didn't fit in anywhere really. But yeah, I hope you guys liked that! <3
> 
> What are you all looking forward to most in the rest of this story? There are FIVE chapters left!!!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the sweet comments, tweets, and DMs, and for kudosing and just being here at all! I appreciate you all so much! Remember that you can always interact with me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories if you feel so inclined, l always love to chat <3 Otherwise, I will see you all on Wednesday with the next chapter :3


	18. it was getting dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni is getting to used to living in her own space, and also having the freedom to hang out with Cheryl more often. Toni also takes Cheryl on a picnic date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon! I am here to bring you all chapter 18 of this story, which matches up exactly with chapter 23 of What A Time. This chapter features a few new Choni things <3
> 
> I hope you all enjoy!xx

Monday morning, waking up in her new room, brought Toni a strange sense of calm. The room was silent, indicating that she’d probably woken up before Fangs, considering that they both had the same schedule as far as school. Even if Fangs was awake, though, Toni was in her own bed, in her own room. No one was going to barge in and wake her up, or threaten to kick her out, or anything. She was safe in her own room.

The only thing that could’ve made it better was if Cheryl was waking up next to her, but that wasn’t really feasible on a school morning.

When she got herself out of bed, after verifying that she wasn’t running late, she took her time picking out a cute outfit and reveling in the fact that she didn’t need to change in the tiny trailer bathroom. Then she left her room and slipped into said bathroom to finish getting ready and quickly to her makeup.

By the time she was in the kitchen poking around at the food Fangs had stocked, her new roommate was also awake and going into the bathroom to get ready as well. Feeling strangely energized, Toni pulled out a half full carton of eggs and started to fry up a few for the two of them.

When Fangs came out of the bathroom, stretching his arms up over his head, he said, “If this cooking breakfast thing is going to keep up, I think you will definitely rank higher than Felicity.”

Toni smirked. “Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll have the time or energy to keep it up. But I’m feeling in a good mood this morning.”

“Yeah, because you finally got laid over the weekend,” Fangs teased.

Toni rolled her eyes, hoping that she wasn’t blushing as well. While Fangs’ wasn’t wrong, that wasn’t the reason she was in a good mood today. In the interest of keeping from getting too emotional and sappy early in the morning, she decided to let Fangs assume that was the reason.

* * *

**Cheryl – How was your first morning in your new trailer? :)**

**Toni – It was nice! Actually could get dressed not in the tiny ass bathroom, not a lot of noise of people getting up, not worrying if I’m going to run into my uncle. All in all, very good experience.**

**Cheryl – I’m glad :)**

**Cheryl – I know we said we’ll for sure see each other on Friday, but are you super busy this week? Waiting a week to see you sounds horrible.**

**Toni – I am not super busy this week. I’m yours whenever you want ;)**

**Cheryl – Cheer practice might be running a little late every day this week because we have a pep rally on Friday. But I’m pretty much free any day in the evening!**

**Toni – Like I said, I’m yours whenever you want.**

**Cheryl – So, always?**

**Toni – ;D**

**Cheryl – Lunch is ending so I need to get to class, but I’ll let you know when will be good times for us to see each other this week, then.**

**Toni – Sounds good, babe :)**

* * *

At school later that day, when Toni was seated in her art class, her art teacher, Miss Smith, stood in front of the class and said, “Class, unfortunately, I have some sad news.”

Toni furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what that news was.

“The school has informed me this morning that this is the last year that this art class will be offered. Obviously, this doesn’t exactly affect you all, but if you had any friends were planning to take this class next year, you may want to inform them of this change. Additionally… the other art classes offered by the school are also being cut,” Miss Smith told them sadly.

Toni frowned. This was not the first cut announced this semester. The whole freaking cheer squad had already been cut as well. Southside High had been falling apart even more this semester than ever before, and it felt like it was barely hanging by a thread now. But with all of the art classes now, there were pretty much no electives left that Toni would be interested in taking for senior year.

As she was leaving class later, Miss Smith said, “Toni, could I speak with you for a moment?” Toni looked at her teacher curiously and walked up to her. “I wanted to talk to you about your photography assignment.”

“Oh,” Toni said in surprise. “Okay?”

“I think you and I both know that you have a gift with a camera,” Miss Smith said with a smile, which Toni returned, waiting to see what she else she was going to say about it. “And I know how important art is to you. Some of these other students only take this class because they think it’s a blow off, I know that, I’m not stupid. But I know that you really care about this class.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed with a nod. “It’s my favorite class.”

“It shows,” Miss Smith told her. “Well, I was thinking that the least I could do would be to get your photos professionally printed. I’m not sure who the model is, but I figured she would be very happy to see the product printed. This was some of the best work I’ve seen in a while.”

Toni was staring at Miss Smith in shock. “Oh—wow, Miss Smith, that’s amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” Miss Smith returned. “So, I actually ordered the prints this morning when I heard the news about the class. They should be ready tomorrow, so I’ll get them to you probably on Wednesday?”

Toni couldn’t even contain her grin. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

Miss Smith gave her a nod. “Great. Have a good rest of your day, Toni.”

Toni walked out of the classroom with even more of a pep in her step—she couldn’t wait to see her printed photos, and she definitely couldn’t wait to show them to Cheryl.

* * *

Monday afternoon apparently didn’t turn out to be a good time for Cheryl to hang out, which meant that Tuesday morning, Toni was starting to feel Cheryl withdrawal. She knew she was being dumb about it—she should be able to go a few days without seeing Cheryl and be fine—but she was feeling fairly clingy after the weekend. And maybe it was something about having her own space and feeling like she could step a little back into her own self, that was making her want to share that feeling with her girlfriend.

Toni and Cheryl had been doing good morning texts every day for a while, but they were always sent during school. Toni broke the pattern first on Tuesday morning, sending a text off before she even left for school.

**Toni – Good morning! Any chance I get to see you today?**

She didn’t get a response for a few minutes, which she knew was probably because Southside High started a little earlier than Riverdale, so Cheryl may not be as up and about yet.

**Cheryl – Good morning to you, too. Chances are looking good.**

**Cheryl – My parents are going to be out of town tonight, actually. Not sure what for, but Jason and I will have the house to ourselves. If you wanted to come over.**

**Toni – Yes! What time?**

**Cheryl – I’ll text you when I’m out of cheer practice, and then you can come over whenever?**

**Toni – Sounds good!**

**Cheryl – Also, I think I’m officially allowed to tease YOU about always missing ME now.**

**Toni – Don’t lie, you miss me, too.**

**Cheryl – <3**

Toni grinned as she slid her backpack strap over her shoulder.

“You’re looking way too happy for how early it is,” Fangs muttered, from where he was still shoveling down some cereal for breakfast.

Toni rolled her eyes. “Hanging out with Cheryl later.”

“Here?” Fangs wondered.

“No, I’m going over to hers.”

“Cool. Joaquin is coming over after school.”

Toni nodded. “Okay. Well, I’ll be here for a couple hours after school until she’s free, so maybe you could keep the noise to a minimum until I’m gone?”

Fangs narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you forgetting what happened Sunday?”

Toni laughed a little. “Cheryl was being so quiet.”

“These walls are thin. Quiet doesn’t mean anything,” Fangs teased.

“Well, I didn’t say no noise. I just said keep it to a minimum, if possible,” Toni said back with a laugh. “If it’s not possible, I guess I’ll go over to Sweets’.”

“I’m just messing with you,” Fangs told her, “we’re probably gonna game for a bit before we do anything like _that_ anyway. So you can join us if you want.”

“Sounds good,” Toni agreed with a nod. “Well, I’m gonna get going, I guess.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna leave in a couple minutes,” Fangs said with a nod.

“Cool. See you later.”

* * *

It was around five in the evening when Cheryl finally texted Toni saying that she was headed home from cheer practice. Toni had been playing a shooting game with Fangs and Joaquin, and when she saw the text, she was distracted for just long enough for Joaquin to headshot her easily.

“Damn, Toni, that was bad,” Joaquin teased.

Toni rolled her eyes, setting down her controller. “Cheryl’s done with cheer, so I’m going to head over to her place.”

“I can’t believe you’re dating a Riverdale Vixen,” Joaquin said in amusement. “Just like, who would’ve thought that cheerleaders were your type?”

Fangs nodded in agreement, and Toni rolled her eyes. “Maybe you two are too gay to get it, but cheerleaders are a _lot_ of people’s types.” Fangs snickered. She grabbed her wallet and her keys and everything and started out of trailer. “See you guys later.”

When she reached Thornhill, she parked her motorcycle and went straight for the front door, knocking. Even though Cheryl had assured her that Penelope and Clifford Blossom were both out of town, she was still terrified that one of them would answer the door, and she just about died when the door swung open to reveal _not_ Cheryl.

But it was just Jason, who gave her a half smile and greeted, “Hey, Toni.”

“Oh, hey, Jason,” Toni returned awkwardly. “Uh, Cheryl was on her way back from school…”

“Yeah, she hasn’t made it back yet,” Jason admitted, “but you can come in.”

Toni frowned, but walked into the house anyway. She pulled out her phone.

**Toni – How did I beat you here?**

“So, Cheryl told me that you two are like, official now,” Jason said, drawing Toni’s gaze away from her phone.

“Yeah,” Toni confirmed with a small smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna give you some kind of brother talk or anything. We aren’t really close enough for that anymore,” Jason admitted.

Toni fiddled with her phone, not sure what to say here. After a second, she decided on, “Well, the talk isn’t needed anyway. I really care about her.”

“Good,” Jason said with a laugh. “She and I used to be closer, you know? But we let a bunch of stupid stuff get between us.”

“Mm. Stupid stuff equals Heather?” Toni asked, before realizing that she probably shouldn’t have said that, because Jason had been dating Heather. She winced preemptively, expecting him to not take that very well.

He just laughed though, nodding. “Yeah, basically. Some girls come with so much drama. Heather wasn’t worth losing my relationship with Cheryl, but somehow, that ended up happening.”

Toni hummed. “Well. You and Cheryl are twins. I’m sure you can get through it.”

He smiled gratefully at her, and then the front door swung open to reveal Cheryl, carrying a few Pop’s takeout bags. “Hey,” she said breathlessly, “sorry, there were more people at Pop’s than I expected, but I wanted to get us dinner.”

“No worries,” Toni said with a smile at her girlfriend, who returned it before looking to Jason.

“Hey, Jason,” she greeted. Her dark eyes flicked between the two of them for a moment, apparently realizing that they’d just been having a conversation.

“Hey,” he returned. “I was actually about to head out when Toni showed up, but I just kept her company for a few minutes.” Cheryl nodded, stepping further into the house as Jason started for the front door. “Nice seeing you, Toni. See you later, Cher.”

“Bye,” Toni chimed, as Cheryl continued to look a little perplexed.

When Jason closed the door behind him, and they heard him lock it, Cheryl looked curiously at Toni. “Did I just interrupt something?”

“Not really,” Toni answered with a laugh. “I didn’t realize you were getting food.”

“Yeah, sorry, I was hoping it would be a nice surprise, but I saw your text while I was driving back and realized you just barely beat me here,” Cheryl said with a light laugh.

“No apology necessary. I am feeling pretty hungry.”

“Yeah, I’m starving,” Cheryl agreed, seeming like she’d forgotten about Jason and Toni talking. “We can actually eat in the dining room, too, since there’s no threat of my horrid parents making an appearance.”

Toni smiled at her girlfriend, who started to lead her toward the dining room.

* * *

On Wednesday, Toni was happy that the week was half over, because she was remembering that she had plans to take Cheryl out on a date on Friday. She hadn’t really planned that out all, but she was still excited.

Her day was made even better when Miss Smith gave her the photography assignment prints, as she’d promised on Monday. Toni spent a good portion her afternoon just staring at the photos, impressed with her own work and also at how gorgeous Cheryl looked in all of them. She decided to hang them up on the wall of her bedroom—what better way to further personalize her room anyway?

She wanted to tell Cheryl about them, but she kind of thought it would be more fun to surprise her with getting to see them. She was going to invite Cheryl over for that evening then, to do just that, but then Cheryl texted asking if she wanted to go to Pop’s, so Toni decided that she would have to surprise Cheryl some other time, and the two of them went for dinner at Pop’s.

Toni was getting very used to eating Pop’s, and considering it was nicer than any takeout she could get on the Southside, she was definitely feeling spoiled. Cheryl always offered to buy, too, and as much as Toni wanted to argue, she knew that Cheryl had the money, and Toni didn’t have enough to blow on food out so often.

Which was reflected in Toni’s Thursday afternoon activity, grocery shopping—for the first time by herself. She found herself picking out basically the cheapest but nicest foods she could find and managed to stock her and Fangs’ fridge a little fuller without putting too much of a dent in her wallet.

After her grocery excursion, she spent the rest of the Thursday trying to figure out what kind of date she should take Cheryl on the following day. She ended up brainstorming with Fangs, but neither of them really came up with anything that was nice enough for what Toni wanted, but also affordable enough.

That was until Friday morning, when Toni woke up to banging on her door.

“What?” she called out tiredly.

“Toni, Joaquin and I had the best idea for your date with Cheryl!” Fangs exclaimed through the door.

Toni forced her eyes open, blinking a lot and pulling herself out of bed. She went to her door and swung it open, seeing both boys in question waiting for her outside of her room. “You just came up with a date idea at like… seven in the morning?”

“We, uh, maybe haven’t gotten much sleep,” Fangs admitted with a laugh and a blush, and Toni didn't want to know what specific activities, other than date brainstorming, had kept them up all night.

“Okay. Well, spill.”

“So,” Joaquin said, “you want it to seem fancy, but be affordable right? The solution is: picnic.”

“Picnic? Where?” Toni asked.

“Near Sweetwater River?” Fangs suggested.

“Yeah, and you could make a spread of food options for the meal,” Joaquin suggested.

Toni took in a breath, raking her fingers through her bedhead. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“Right!” Fangs exclaimed.

“I don’t have any sort of basket for a picnic.”

“Well, we’ll get one after school. I’m sure someone around here has something,” Fangs suggested. “And Joaquin has a blanket you guys can borrow, too.”

Toni looked between the of them suspiciously. “Why are you two so excited about this anyway?”

“Joaquin is a major romantic,” Fangs answered. “Plus, watching you spend like hours yesterday trying to think of something made me feel sort of bad for you.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Rude.”

Fangs laughed. “Alright, so it’s a plan.”

* * *

Right after school later on Friday, it was time for date preparation. Toni and Fangs literally asked around the trailer park until they found someone who had a picnic basket that they could borrow. Toni sent Joaquin with some cash to pick up some pizza and sparkling cider, and then sent Fangs to get Chinese takeout and two Pop’s milkshakes. In the meantime, Toni made some sandwiches, and then they packed the basket with all of the food items, making sure to put some ice around the milkshakes, and also ensuring to include utensils and plastic cups. It was an interesting spread for sure, and not exactly what Joaquin had meant earlier, but Toni didn’t want to spend hours cooking and thought it would be more fun this way.

Joaquin brought over a big blanket from his place, and with that, everything was ready for the picnic. By that point, Cheryl was definitely home and ready to go, so Toni strapped everything to her bike and started to Sweetwater River to set up everything, before finally heading to Thornhill.

When she got to the house, she pulled her helmet off and pulled out her phone.

**Toni – I’m here!**

Not even twenty seconds later, the front door of the house swung open, and Cheryl came storming out, her parents on her tail, despite the younger girl’s efforts to close the door.

“What in the—” the man, who Toni could only assume must be Clifford Blossom, started.

“Cheryl Blossom!” Penelope shouted. “If you get on that motorcycle, there _will_ be hell to pay!”

Toni already had her helmet back on, and her phone pocketed, and she handed off Cheryl’s helmet as the redhead quickly clambered onto the bike behind her. “Drive!” Cheryl exclaimed.

Toni didn’t need to be told twice, and she took off out of Thornhill as fast as she could.

“Are you okay?” she shouted over the wind, worry aching in her chest.

Cheryl just squeezed Toni more tightly, and Toni resolved to wait until they got to the picnic to try to inquire further.

She felt Cheryl relaxing during the drive, which made Toni relax a little as well, and when they finally arrived at the picnic, Toni grinned from under her helmet at how cute it was.

“Oh, Toni,” Cheryl breathed out, as Toni pulled to a stop. They took off their helmets and climbed off the bike, Cheryl immediately heading over to the blanket.

“You like it?” Toni inquired.

“Yes,” Cheryl answered. “How long were you planning this for?”

Toni laughed. “Uh, today?” She smiled sheepishly as Cheryl turned around and looked at her. “I’m not so great at planning dates. Fangs helped a lot.”

“It’s really nice,” Cheryl assured her, and they both went to sit down on the blanket. “Where’d you get a picnic basket?”

Toni snickered a little. “Fangs and I asked around the trailer park until we found this older lady who had one I could borrow. Thankfully, she didn’t even think it was weird of us to ask. Also, I wanted to bring wine, but I figured maybe this isn’t the best place to be drinking, especially if I’m going to be driving us back after. So I stuck with some sparkling cider.”

She opened the picnic basket and pulled out the cider and the two plastic cups. “That works for me,” Cheryl said, prompting Toni to fill the cups for the two of them. Cheryl immediately took a sip of hers.

“Hey,” Toni said softly after a second, “what was happening earlier? That was your dad, right?”

“Yeah,” Cheryl answered, “yeah, my mother decided it was a good time to tell him about… you and me. He got really upset. This is one of the few times my mother has ever followed up on a threat.”

Toni frowned. “Shit… I’m sorry. You could’ve texted me that you needed to reschedule or something.”

“There would’ve been no point. If I try to go along with them, to explain things and appeal to their good sides, I’ll only end up losing even worse. If I entertain them with dinners and discussions, I’ll have to open up to them, and they will see my weaknesses,” Cheryl answered sadly, “and if they see those, they will exploit them. It’s what us Blossoms do.”

“Not you,” Toni corrected, still frowning. “You don’t do that.”

Cheryl smiled a little at that, but it still looked sad. “I guess you’re right. I try not to be the way my parents are.”

“You do a great job not being the way your parents are,” Toni assured her. “Seriously!” Cheryl let out a little breath, and Toni could see that she was trying to force another smile. Hoping to go for a distraction, Toni tried to think of anything she could bring up, and suddenly she remembered something, “Hey, that reminds me. This weekend or next weekend we should finally bring that bag of clothes you wanted to donate over to Sunnyside. I’ll let everyone know and anyone looking for new clothes can meet by the bonfire or something.”

Cheryl nodded. “Okay, that sounds good.”

“Hey,” Toni said softly, “don’t think about your parents, babe.”

“Maybe food will distract me,” Cheryl suggested, “what did you bring?”

“Only the best assortment for my girlfriend,” Toni said playfully, hoping that she wasn’t blushing as she opened up the basket all of the way. “I wanted to be sure there were options. So first, we have pizza!” Cheryl smiled at that, looked genuinely amused, which made Toni smile as well. “Next, some homemade ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches!”

“Ooh,” Cheryl oohed teasingly, “ahh.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “Next, some Chinese takeout. And lastly, some Pop’s milkshakes!”

“I’ll take one of those,” Cheryl said with a grin, and Toni handed over a strawberry milkshake in a to-go cup.

“Sorry the food is pretty basic,” Toni apologized with a shrug, “I couldn’t do much better, unfortunately.”

“It’s exquisite, Toni,” Cheryl promised her. “No one has ever done something like this for me. The type of food couldn’t change how grateful I am that _you_ did.”

Toni smiled, playfully flipping some hair over her shoulder. “Well, what can I say?” Cheryl laughed, and Toni smiled proudly. Her goal tonight was officially to keep getting laughs and smiles from the redhead, and to distract from her conversation with her parents earlier.

They ate over half of the assortment of food, as well as finishing their milkshakes and a couple of glasses of sparkling cider, throughout the whole evening. The rest of the food they stored back in the basket, and then they sprawled across the blanket side by side. It was getting pretty dark out by that point.

“Thank you for this, Toni,” Cheryl whispered.

“You’re welcome.”

“Would you mind if… if I stayed over at your place tonight?” Cheryl asked quietly. Toni’s heart warmed when she heard the trailer referred to as _her place_ , and then she laughed a little at the question.

“Would I mind? Of course not.”

Cheryl smiled. “Thanks.”

“You’re always welcome at the trailer, Cher. You know that,” she assured her girlfriend. Cheryl nodded, and Toni reached out to grab her hand. After another moment of quiet, Toni said, “Maybe we should pack up and head back there before it gets too dark?”

* * *

It wasn’t until they reached the trailer that Toni remembered the photos on her wall that she hadn’t told Cheryl about. In fact, she didn’t remember until they were walking into her bedroom and Cheryl whispered, “Oh!”

“Oh yeah,” Toni said, looking at the professionally printed photos lining her wall. “I guess I forgot to tell you I was getting those printed.”

“How?” Cheryl wondered, surprise in her voice.

“Actually, my art teacher thought they were so good that she offered to get it done for me. She said it was the least she could do, considering it’s the last year that class will even be offered,” Toni explained.

Cheryl looked at Toni in confusion. “It will be?”

“Yeah. They just announced this week that they’re cutting it. Honestly, it feels like pretty soon, Southside High will just be math, English, history, and science. Don’t even know how they’ll manage to keep students for a whole day at a time,” Toni admitted, letting out a breath.

Cheryl frowned. “I’m sorry. Yeah, Jughead mentioned some of the cuts, but I didn’t realize art was getting cut.” Toni just shrugged, feeling like she’d accepted the fact that Southside High was a shithole by now.

“I mean, I probably wasn’t going to retake this class next year anyway, that would look weird on my transcript. But there were some other art classes I was considering, and those got cut too, so don’t know what my senior schedule is going to look like.”

Cheryl walked closer to the pictures on the wall, scanning them thoughtfully. Toni watched her eyes, noticing that they seemed to sparkle as they looked at the pictures. “They look even better printed out,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re putting them here on your wall.”

“Well, I figured if I was going to be in possession of beautiful art in photograph form, I may as well display it,” Toni said flirtatiously, as she sat down on her bed. Cheryl immediately blushed, turning to face Toni.

“You think you’re so smooth, don’t you?” Cheryl whispered.

“I am smooth,” Toni answered matter-of-factly. Cheryl rolled her eyes, but she took a step closer to the bed and leaned down to kiss Toni directly on the lips. Toni immediately kissed her back, grabbing her waist and her hair with either hand, and she pulled her down on top of her. Cheryl climbed on top of Toni, whose head had landed on the pillows. Cheryl parted their lips for a moment to catch her breath, and Toni looked up at her girlfriend with darkened eyes. “See?”

“Oh, shut up,” Cheryl whispered, pressing their lips back together in another kiss.

By the time they cuddled up to sleep many hours later, Toni was pretty sure that she’d done an excellent job of distracting her girlfriend from the events at her house earlier. And when she wrapped Cheryl up in her arms that night, she felt like she didn’t have a single care in the whole world.

* * *

Saturday morning, Toni rose early to an alarm she had set, which reminded her of the rounds she had to do. She groaned a little as she turned it off, pulling herself to a seated position and causing Cheryl to groan. “Where are you going?” Cheryl whined.

Toni looked down at her girlfriend fondly, wishing she could curl back up with her. “I have rounds.”

“It’s too early,” Cheryl murmured, burying her face into the pillows.

Toni smiled, running her hands through some of Cheryl’s hair. “How about you keep sleeping then, beautiful? This is my room after all. You won’t be bothering anyone by waiting here for me.”

Cheryl turned her gaze upward again, her eyes looking bright and happy despite how early it was. “Mmhmm, okay,” she hummed happily. Toni leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her girlfriend’s head.

“I’ll see you in a couple hours,” Toni said softly, as she got out of the bed and started to get dressed.

Her rounds were nice and easy that morning, though, because the drama with the Ghoulies had definitely started to settle by now. She got back to her trailer around eleven, where she found Cheryl still curled up in her bed, but awake and on her phone.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted, drawing Cheryl’s attention.

“Good morning,” Cheryl chimed with a smile. “I got up a little while ago and stole some breakfast and everything, but I decided to come back to bed to wait for you.”

Toni smiled sweetly at her. “Well, I was thinking maybe we could drop by Thornhill and get those clothes you wanted to donate? And bring them back here.”

“Sure,” Cheryl agreed, her smile dropping off though. “Let me just ask Jason if my parents are home.” Toni sat on the end of her bed as Cheryl did that, and after a few minutes, she said, “Okay, looks like we’re in the clear if we go now.”

“Cool,” Toni said with a smile. “I’ll text Sweet Pea and ask him to spread the word around the trailer park that we’ll have some stuff to hand out.”

So they drove to Thornhill, grabbed the big bag of clothes, and Cheryl took her car back to Sunnyside, following behind Toni’s bike. Back at the trailer park, they dispersed Cheryl’s old clothes to a bunch of women and girls who lived in the trailer park, and Toni could tell that Cheryl was happy to do it. It was nice to see Cheryl so happy to help, too. It warmed Toni’s heart.

“Should we get lunch now?” Cheryl asked, when they finished up, a pep in her step.

“Sure,” Toni agreed. “Let’s just eat some of those leftovers from yesterday, though, at my trailer. Because I need to head to work soon.”

“Sounds good to me,” Cheryl agreed.

* * *

Toni spent Sunday doing her rounds, followed by homework, and then working in the evening. She was a little bummed about not being able to see Cheryl, but it turned out that Cheryl was grounded by her parents, and despite her usual approach of defying them outright, Cheryl was playing along for now. Toni tried not to be too worried about the whole situation.

Sunday night, Toni got a phone call from her girlfriend, and they talked for a while before bed. Mostly it was just about their days, but then Cheryl cleared her throat and said, “Hey, so… last week, _Heather_ announced that the junior prom committee isn’t letting anyone from outside of Riverdale High to come to junior prom this year.”

“Oh, that’s… not cool,” Toni said, not sure if she should say anything that implied that she would’ve been going with Cheryl, not wanting to invite herself.

“No, it’s not. She especially rubbed it in my face, which was rude.”

“Wait, seriously? She made that call to target you?” Toni demanded. “I seriously want to fight her.”

“Yes, it’s rather unfortunate. She really wants to be prom queen, and I think she’s worried that I’ll take the crown. Which—I totally want to, mostly so she can’t. But if I can’t even bring you…”

“Yeah, that sucks. Well, Southside High doesn’t even have prom this year. We didn’t last year either. Just another item on the list of many, many cuts.”

“What!” Cheryl exclaimed. “That’s also ridiculous. There’s only one prom in all of Riverdale, but they won’t let students from Southside come?”

Toni rolled onto her back, staring at her ceiling. “Yeah, well, most people on the Northside don’t really give a shit about us on the Southside.”

“Well, I’m going to figure something out.”

Toni smiled a little. “I have no doubt that you will, babe.”

“You would come if you could, right?”

“Of course,” Toni answered, smiling a little.

Hearing Cheryl’s confidence about prom reminded Toni of how strong her girlfriend was, and made her feel even more confident that everything else that Cheryl was currently struggling with, namely her parents, would also be fine.

That was until Monday morning.

When Toni saw a good morning text from Cheryl that she replied to only a few minutes later, only to get no response back.

She didn’t think too much of it, of course. At least not until her phone started ringing with a call from Jughead right as she walked up to her locker upon getting to school.

“Jug?” Toni asked.

“Toni, there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“It’s about Cheryl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Okay well you had to know this point would be a cliffhanger right???
> 
> So I have a big exam tomorrow that I am going to spend the rest of the day cramming for. If you feel so inclined, I would love to have some comments to read as pick-me-ups throughout the day... haha but of course, I appreciate you all for simply being here reading this, comments or not <3
> 
> Because of my exam tomorrow, it is pretty much guaranteed that I will not be surprise updating earlier, soooo I will see you all on Friday with the next update! In the meantime, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories to yell at me about the cliffhanger hahaha! <3 Have a lovely rest of your week everyone!


	19. you look around, and i'm standing there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni and her and Cheryl's friends perform a rescue mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning, lovelies!  
> Today I have a (probably?) busy day ahead of me, so I figured I would update sooner rather than later!  
> My shift just started at work though so gotta rush this note! (but also quickly thanks everyone who wished me luck on my exam, i think it went not good lol but i'm just trying to put it behind me now lol)
> 
> Enjoy! xx

Toni answered the call from Jughead, which came right as she walked up to her locker after getting to school in the morning.

“Jug?” Toni asked.

“Toni, there’s a problem.”

“What problem?”

“It’s about Cheryl.”

Toni felt her frown deepen—a problem about Cheryl that _Jughead_ was calling about? “What is it, Jug? Don’t beat around the bush.”

“Um, we don’t exactly know, but—”

“Who’s we?” Toni demanded, turning on her heel away from her locker and starting back out of the building. “Tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Jason,” Jughead answered. “He said there’s some old woman at the Blossom house and that Penelope said Cheryl isn’t coming to school today. Jason said Cheryl looked terrified.”

Toni felt her heart racing. She stood outside the school building and leaned against the brick wall, sucking in a deep breath and trying to calm down. She couldn’t help Cheryl if she was spiraling.

“Toni?” Sweet Pea called, he, Fangs, and Joaquin walking up toward her from the parking lot. “Are you okay?”

“Toni?” Jughead said on the other side of the line. “They’re trying to send her somewhere, aren’t they?”

Toni squeezed her eyes shut. “They were so pissed at her on Friday for getting on the bike with me.”

“Wait, what the fuck is going on?” Sweet Pea demanded.

“Cheryl,” Toni croaked out, opening her eyes, “her parents are trying to send her away.”

“The fuck?” Fangs demanded. “To where?”

Toni took in a deep breath, telling herself that she needed to calm down. She needed to, or else she couldn’t help Cheryl. “Jughead,” she said into the phone.

“Yep?”

“Can you meet me at Thornhill? Actually, if I leave now, I can be at Riverdale High in like, five or so minutes, ignoring speed limits of course. We can make it there right?” she asked desperately.

“I can do you one better,” Jughead said, “I’m with Veronica, Betty, and Archie, too. They’re going to go with Jason in Archie’s truck.”

“We’re coming too,” Sweet Pea said immediately, apparently able to hear Jughead on the other side of the call. Fangs and Joaquin both nodded in agreement.

Toni felt a small feeling of relief at the fact that she didn’t have to do this alone. “Okay. So the four of us will swing by RH in like, five minutes, and then we need to go. You tell Archie to _step on it_ when we leave Riverdale High. If we don’t make it in time—”

“I got it, Toni. We’ll make. It see you in a few.”

Toni hung up the phone, sliding it into her bag. “Let’s go,” she said, shaking a little.

“It’s going to be okay,” Fangs told her, as the four of them started back toward their bikes.

They all got on their bikes, and Toni had never driven faster than she did on the stretch to Riverdale High. She and the guys didn’t even have to stop for Jughead and everyone in the truck, who were waiting on the side of the road for the Southsiders to show up. They immediately started toward Thornhill, and Toni somehow drove even faster there than she had to Riverdale High.

When they pulled into the long driveway on Thornhill’s property, Toni’s heart was pounding in her ears. She was pleading for Cheryl to still be there, and if she wasn’t, Toni was pretty much ready to literally fight Penelope Blossom. Tears were threatening her in the anticipation, but then she saw it—a slick black car. It was driving away from the house, and an old woman sat in the driver’s seat.

Archie’s truck revved its engine from behind Toni and the other motorcycles, and Toni felt her tears disappear. Her worry was replaced with a mix of relief and anger—relief that Cheryl wasn’t gone, and anger that she was almost gone in the first place.

Toni stopped her motorcycle and everyone else stopped around her, but all vehicles stayed on. The black car came to a slow sop as well, the woman in the driver’s seat looking beyond pissed off.

As soon as the black car stopped, the back door swung open, and Cheryl got out—and Toni’s heart ached at the tears streaking her face and how terrified she looked. Before she could move more than a foot, the front door swung open and the old woman grasped Cheryl’s forearm.

Taken over by her anger, Toni jumped off her motorcycle and tore off her helmet, yelling, “Let go of her!”

“And who are you?” the old woman called, sounding eerily calm.

“Shut up!” Sweet Pea shouted. “And let Cheryl go! You don’t want to mess with us, lady!” Toni heard the sounds of multiple switch blades coming out, and she felt her heart swell at her best friends helping to protect her girlfriend.

The woman released Cheryl, her face a little pale all of the sudden. Cheryl immediately made a break for it and threw herself into Toni’s arms. Toni wrapped her arms around her desperately, feeling the relief wash over her.

“Oh my god, Toni,” Cheryl sobbed, sounding so broken. It took all of Toni’s ability to keep from sobbing as well.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Toni whispered, “are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Cheryl whispered, “she has my phone.”

Toni nodded, carefully pulling away from Cheryl. “Get on the bike. We’ll get your phone.”

Cheryl climbed onto the motorcycle as Toni turned and nodded to her fellow Serpents, who all got off their bikes and started to follow her toward the car.

“We just want her phone,” Toni called to the woman, “and then we’ll be gone.”

“You are all filthy sinners!” the woman shouted.

“Great, good to know,” Toni muttered, as she and the guys closed in on the woman. “Her phone.”

“If you really loved that girl,” the woman growled, slowly reaching into the car to grab the phone, “you would want her to be fixed, so she could be clean under the eyes of God.”

“There’s nothing that needs fixing about her,” Toni hissed, holding her hand out for the phone. “And I know Penelope Blossom has a pretty penny, but if you ever dare try to take my girlfriend again, I don’t care what the consequences are. You will pay.”

The woman looked ashen as she handed over Cheryl’s phone. Toni started to back away from the woman, the boys as well.

“Get back in the car,” Toni demanded to the woman once she was back by her bike. The woman obeyed, and then the Serpents got back on their bikes. Cheryl wrapped her arms around Toni, who wished she could better comfort her girlfriend in this moment.

The motorcycles and the car all turned around and it was off to Sunnyside. It hadn’t been agreed upon, but everyone seemed to follow Toni without question, all wanting to make sure that Cheryl ended up somewhere safe.

When they got back to Sunnyside, Toni helped her girlfriend off of the bike and into her trailer. She glanced back at Sweet Pea and everyone else, who was gathering outside. He just nodded at her, and she disappeared inside with Cheryl. “Do you wanna go to my room?” Cheryl nodded, and Toni walked her to the room, closing the door behind her.

Cheryl’s makeup was smeared, but she was no longer crying. She wiped at her face, and Toni sat next to her on the bed and touched her cheek softly. Cheryl sniffed a little.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Toni whispered, “but we can… if you want.” After a moment of silence, she said, “You’re probably wondering how we found out what was happening.”

“Jason,” Cheryl whispered.

Toni nodded. “Yeah. He told Jughead he thought something weird was going on, and Jughead called me, and everything else just happened after that.” She swallowed thickly. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there sooner.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Cheryl whispered hoarsely. “You were there. That’s what matters.”

“So… your mom did this.” Cheryl nodded. “Did your dad know?”

“Probably. I don’t know. He wasn’t there.”

“Do you… do you want to tell me what happened?” Toni wondered quietly. Her heart was still aching. She didn’t know why, but if she had more details, maybe she could stop the aching in her chest.

Cheryl sniffled, meeting Toni’s eyes. “They said there was a boarding school in Maine that specialized in dealing with ‘people with my issues.’ I tried to text you, but my hideous mother took my phone. Jason saw us all talking, and she told him to buy breakfast at school and that I wouldn’t be going to school today. Then…”

“Then?” Toni asked softly, caressing her cheek carefully.

“They were talking… about details and things… and I—I was panicking. I couldn’t make a run for it… I couldn’t get my keys. I thought that was it, and they brought me out to the car a-and… while we were driving, I was going to jump out—to make a run for the barn, but then… then you guys showed up,” Cheryl finished, sniffing again.

Toni brought her hand to Cheryl’s back and rubbed it softly. Cheryl leaned into her, and Toni wrapped her arms around her. She noticed the red marks on Cheryl’s upper arm and frowned as she realized that someone had grabbed her there. She touched it gently. “They hurt you,” Toni whispered, anger gripping her heart.

“It’s okay,” Cheryl murmured, “it doesn’t hurt.”

“You’re staying here tonight,” Toni instructed, as if there were any doubt about it. Cheryl nodded in agreement. Toni felt sick to her stomach. She felt like she was about to break, but she didn’t want to in front of her girlfriend. “Lay down. Have you had breakfast?” Cheryl shook her head as she pulled away from Toni to lay down on the bed. “I’m going to make you something.”

“Did everyone else go back to school?” Cheryl wondered quietly.

“I think they’re outside. Do you want me to tell them to go back? I think they wanted to check on you.”

Cheryl took in a deep breath and shook her head. “They can come in.”

Toni nodded, and left the bedroom. She went back into the kitchen and opened the front door. “I’m gonna make her food,” she said to the group, who was all still waiting around the door, “you guys can come in and see her.”

Toni heard the conversation happening in her bedroom as she started to make some eggs and toast, but she couldn’t pay attention. Her stomach wouldn’t stop twisting, and silent tears slipped out of her eyes as she sobbed silently. She took a moment to breath, hoping that no one in the other room could hear her.

By the time the Northsiders started to file out of the room, she’d pulled herself back together, and she gave them all a quiet thank you and a smile as she continued to make breakfast. A minute later, Fangs and Joaquin left as well, not before giving Toni supportive smiles.

When Toni walked into her bedroom with the plate of breakfast, Cheryl was looking a little less distraught, and Sweet Pea was standing next to the bed still.

“Hope this is satisfactory,” she said softly, handing the plate to Cheryl.

“Thank you.”

Toni looked at her best friend. “You ditching?”

“It’s not like there’s too much to do at school anyway. But I guess if it’s going to be a third wheel situation, I can head out.”

“Yeah, you should go,” Toni said, at the same time as Cheryl said, “You’re welcome to stay.”

Sweet Pea laughed at that, saying, “Wow, Toni. Your girlfriend likes me more than you do?” Toni just rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll be a half decent student today then. Let me know if you guys need anything.”

“We will. See you later.”

“See you, Tiny Toni,” Sweet Pea returned with a smile, before flashing Cheryl one as well. And then he left the room.

When the trailer door shut, Toni met Cheryl’s eyes. “You feeling a little better?”

Cheryl took a bite of her eggs and nodded. When she swallowed her food, she said, “Yeah. Everyone was very nice.”

Toni sat on the foot of the bed, facing her girlfriend, and took in a breath. “I’m sorry that this happened to you, Cheryl…”

“It’s okay.”

“I can’t stop thinking about how badly I… how badly I just want to protect you, like, indefinitely,” Toni said with a little laugh, hoping that it covered up the tears that were in her eyes, her gaze darting away, “but I mean, I know that you can protect yourself when it comes to most situations.”

“And in all the other ones,” Cheryl said, drawing Toni’s gaze back to her, “you can do the protecting.”

Toni nodded, and she felt relief setting in for real, realizing that her girlfriend was safe here with her. “I’m really glad you’re okay. And for the record, I have no doubt that your jumping and running out of the car plan would have worked, if we hadn’t shown up.”

“I’m just happy that you did show up,” Cheryl told her quietly. “Just… maybe we can stop talking about it.”

“Of course,” Toni agreed, nodding. “How about I get out my laptop and put on a movie for us?”

Cheryl nodded. “That sounds good.”

So Toni did her best to pull herself completely together as she went to grab her laptop out of her school bag. She needed to hold herself together, for her girlfriend’s sake.

* * *

Toni was happy to spend Monday distracting Cheryl—she herself needed the distraction as well. Every time her thoughts wandered, she remembered the feeling she got when Jughead told her what Jason saw. She would picture that woman—Cheryl identified her as a woman named Nancy from the conversion therapy school in Maine—gripping Cheryl’s arm out by the car. It filled her with a mix of terror and rage that she hadn’t ever felt, at least not that she could remember.

It was strange, really, thinking about all the shit that Toni had been through. She had been through her parents being taken away, living with a horrible uncle, going through Serpents rituals and dealing with fights and all sorts of other crap. She had become desensitized to her own life, but when something almost happened to Cheryl, she couldn’t stand it. She knew that she would’ve protected Cheryl at her own expense, and that in and of itself mildly terrified her. At the same time, though, she would look at her beautiful girlfriend, so strong but also so broken, and know that it would be worth it.

She didn’t express these thoughts to Cheryl, though. No, she just cuddled with the redhead while they watched movies and did anything that they could to keep themselves distracted.

On Tuesday morning, Toni woke up with her arms wrapped around Cheryl, who was wearing one of Toni’s black tank tops. Toni’s alarm was going off, but she quickly turned around and shut it off, before facing her girlfriend again. Cheryl was somehow sleeping peacefully, even despite the alarm.

Toni’s hand came to the bruises on Cheryl’s skin, around her right forearm and also her right upper arm. Toni also knew there were some on her left upper arm. Every time she saw them, she wanted to go back to Thornhill and punch Penelope Blossom right in her face. And if she ever saw that Nancy woman again….

Toni blew out a breath, gently stroking the bruised skin. Cheryl murmured something sleepily, and she started to roll onto her back. “Morning, baby,” Toni whispered, looking down at her strong girlfriend.

“Morning,” Cheryl mumbled, wiping at her face and then blinking her eyes open. They settled on Toni, who smiled as best as she could.

“Did you want to take today off of school, too?” Toni whispered.

“Yeah,” Cheryl said with a sigh. “Yeah, I don’t think… I don’t think I’m ready to go back yet. I still feel… shaken up.”

Toni nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay here with you.”

Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows. “No. You need to go to school, babe,” Cheryl insisted.

“Baby,” Toni tried to argue.

“No, Toni. You won’t miss another day of school,” Cheryl continued, sounding surprisingly firm considering the fact that she’d just woken up. “I’m going to spend today getting back into feeling like myself, and I think some time to just… reflect will help. And you could be here for that, but I don’t need you to be, and I don’t want you to miss too much school.”

Toni sighed, giving in. “Fine. I’ll go.”

“Good,” Cheryl said with a sweet smile. “Now lemme go back to sleep for a little bit.”

Toni smiled a little, running her hand through hair. “Okay, Cher. I’ll come straight home after school.”

“Okay,” Cheryl murmured, cuddling back into the pillows. “Have a good day at school.”

Toni let out a quiet sigh, and then forced herself to get up. She dressed quickly and then left the bedroom and went into the bathroom to get ready.

When she left, Fangs was coming out of his room. “Hey,” he said in surprise. “You’re going to school today?” Toni nodded. “Cheryl?”

“She’s taking another day off,” Toni said, “so she’s going to hang here today. She won’t let me skip another day.”

Fangs chuckled. “Whipped.”

Toni rolled her eyes as she started to get herself a small breakfast. “I think she wants some time to be alone and think.”

“I guess that makes sense. Man, that’s all sorts of fucked up, what happened. I can’t believe her parents would do that.”

Toni sighed. “You’d think we would all understand how shitty parents can be. But… we always want them to be better, and we’re always so disappointed when they fail.”

“Damn. Are you good?” Fangs asked, sounding only half joking.

Toni gave him her best smile. “Yeah, fine. Go get ready, or you’re going to be running late.”

Toni left not too long after eating her breakfast, and when she got to school, she was immediately approached by Sweet Pea. “Yo, Tiny. I didn’t know if you were going to be here today. Cheryl went back to school?”

“No,” Toni answered, “but she was very insistent that I don’t miss another day, so here I am.”

“You don’t sound too happy about it,” Sweet Pea told her, lifting an eyebrow.

Toni shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “I’m just worried, I guess. Like… I just keep thinking about what would’ve happened if we hadn’t gotten there in time. Literally just a minute later, and she would’ve… just…”

“Hey,” Sweet Pea interrupted, “I know. It’s scary. But we got there in time. She’s okay.”

Toni smiled gratefully at her best friend. “Yeah. Maybe I just wish I could keep an eye on her for a little longer, but… I know she’s safe at the trailer. Even if her mom wanted to try and track her down, I doubt she’d storm into a trailer park full of Serpents in the middle of the day.”

Sweet Pea chuckled. “Exactly.”

* * *

The school day went by agonizingly slow, but finally Toni was able to head home. Cheryl was, of course, safe at the trailer when she arrived. She had showered and dressed and even done her makeup using some of Toni’s stuff. She also said that she’d gone on a walk, and that she was feeling better, so Toni was happy to hear that.

Jason swung by not too long later with all of Cheryl’s work from the past two days, which didn’t seem like much. Cheryl spent the afternoon working on it while Toni cooked them a meager dinner. Then they curled up in front of the TV in the living room, putting on some random movie, while they ate and talked and relaxed. And it was nice enough to distract Toni.

* * *

On Wednesday, Cheryl woke up before Toni, and shook the Serpent awake before Toni’s alarm went off. “Mm, what?” Toni murmured, forcing her eyes open and looking at her girlfriend, who looked surprisingly awake.

“I’m going to school today,” Cheryl said softly.

“Okay,” Toni murmured.

“My school starts after yours, but I need a ride. So we need to get up so you can bring me,” Cheryl reminded her.

Toni nodded. “Right, yeah, okay. I’m awake.”

With that, Cheryl hopped out of the bed and started to find herself some clothes from Toni’s dresser. Toni sat up, stretching her arms over her head and watched as Cheryl wiggled out of her pajamas. Toni’s eyes soaked in the view, and she felt warmth between her thighs before her gaze caught on the bruises on Cheryl’s arm, and any positive feeling was replaced with anger.

But then Cheryl was slipping into some of Toni’s dark, tight jeans, which fit Cheryl _very_ snugly, and then pulling a long sleeve, white crop top over her head, and Toni was distracted again. Cheryl looked _hot_ in her clothes.

“How do I look?” Cheryl asked, as if reading Toni’s mind.

“Hot,” Toni answered without thinking, but her girlfriend seemed to approve of the response, and she grinned as she started to open the bedroom door.

“I’m going to the bathroom. You should get up.”

“I am,” Toni answered with a chuckle. Cheryl left the bedroom and closed the door behind her.

Cheryl feeling a little more upbeat was encouragement enough for Toni to also relax a little, so she got out of bed and quickly got dressed for the day. Then she joined Cheryl in the bathroom and they both did makeup and got ready.

They ate cereal for breakfast, and Fangs was leaving his bedroom once the two of them were about to leave. “You two are up early,” he commented.

“I have to take Cher to Riverdale High,” Toni explained, “so we have to leave early. But I’ll see you at school.”

“Yeah, see you. Have a good day, Cheryl,” Fangs said, which Cheryl answered with an appreciative smile.

When Toni dropped Cheryl off, she seemed ready to face the day, and she kissed Toni firmly on the lips before strutting into the building. Toni tried not to stare at her the whole way up—her ass in those jeans looked _amazing_ —and headed off to Southside High.

Toni had an easier time at school on Wednesday, knowing that Cheryl was also at school and that her friends were there with her. But that also meant that Cheryl went to Vixens practice, so Toni went home to her trailer, where Fangs and Sweet Pea offered to hang out with her because they could sense her slight anxiety about waiting around for Cheryl. She also wasn’t sure if Cheryl was going to get a ride or if she was going to need Toni to come and get her, so Toni was worried about getting to preoccupied with anything else.

But then, she got a text from Cheryl that surprised her.

**Cheryl – Can we go to Thornhill? Veronica said she’ll come too, and we’re gonna try and get more backup. I don’t want to stay there, but she made a good point. I need my backpack and my car and some clothes and makeup and stuff.**

**Toni – Sure! Is Veronica going to drive you there? I can meet you there. I’ll bring Fangs and Sweet Pea, they’re just lazing around mine and Fangs’ trailer right now anyway.**

**Cheryl – Sure that works. I’ll text you when we leave RH.**

“Alright, losers,” Toni said to her two best friends, who looked away from where their gaze had been trained on the TV. “We’re going with Cheryl to Thornhill so she can get some stuff.”

“Ooh,” Sweet Pea said, “like her defense squad?”

Toni blinked. “Sure, yeah. Oh—and Sweets. Bring your lock breaking stuff. Just in case. I don’t think Cher has her keys.”

The three of them hopped on their bikes and rode to Thornhill, where they beat everyone else there. Jughead pulled up shortly after them, and then Veronica’s car pulled up a little later, with Betty and Cheryl inside as well.

“Hey guys,” Veronica called to the group of Serpents. “Sweet Pea, and Fangs?”

“Yep,” Sweet Pea confirmed, “and you’re Veronica?”

“That’s right,” Veronica answered wit ha smile. “I’m glad we’re all here to support Cheryl taking her shit back.”

“We’ve already done one break-in-get-stuff-out sort of operation this year,” Sweet Pea said, looking at Toni and Cheryl, “what’s one more?”

Cheryl grabbed Toni’s hand and smiled a little. “Come on, let’s just get this over with.”

“Okay, do you have your key?” Veronica asked. “Or is Jason here to let us in?”

Cheryl blinked. “Um, I think Jason isn’t home, and I don’t have my key, so…”

“Don’t worry,” Sweet Pea said with a grin, pulling out his lock breaking kit. “I came prepared.”

“He came prepared because I reminded him to,” Toni added. “Come on, let’s do this.”

Sweet Pea took only about thirty seconds to break the lock, and then everyone entered into Thornhill.

“Damn, Red,” Fangs said, looking all around at the house, “you live _here,_ and you still spend time at Sunnyside?”

“Trust me, Fangs,” Cheryl told him, “a big place like this, with parents like mine, is not full of any sort of hominess or love. It’s cold, and lonely, and almost every terrible thing that’s ever happened to me has happened within these walls.”

“Okay, fair point.”

“Come on,” Cheryl said, leading them all to the stairs. Since they hadn’t been accosted by Penelope or Clifford Blossom yet, Toni was hoping that they weren’t home. Cheryl led them up to her room, and all the Serpents looked around it in shock.

“I could live in here,” Sweet Pea murmured, as Cheryl began to go around the room collecting things. Toni rolled her eyes, elbowing her friend.

“Oh hey,” Veronica said, “has anyone told you guys the good news? Cheryl got prom opened up for Southside students. You are all now welcome at Riverdale High’s junior prom!”

“Oh shit, cool,” Fangs said with a nod. “I had pretty much counted prom out of my future, considering we haven’t had one in two years.”

“You going to come, Sweet Pea?” Veronica wondered.

Sweet Pea shrugged. “I probably won’t have anything better to do, so yeah.”

No one asked Toni if she was going, and Toni figured that was because it was assumed, but she also knew that asking people to prom was very much a thing. Was Cheryl expecting her to ask her? Toni wasn’t quite sure, but she didn’t get hung up on it.

Cheryl finished packing up her necessary stuff shortly after that, into a backpack and a suitcase. “Alright, that should be good.”

“Alright, let’s go get you to your car!” Veronica said brightly. Toni grabbed Cheryl’s backpack, and Cheryl pulled her suitcase along with her.

As they left the room, Toni grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and asked, “You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Cheryl assured her with a soft smile.

“Good.”

They left the house with no incident, and as they loaded up Cheryl’s car, Cheryl turned to the group. “So… thank you guys. It was probably a bit excessive, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”

“Nah, not excessive,” Sweet Pea insisted, “you were just giving us a tour of your mansion.”

“Her parents’ mansion,” Fangs corrected.

Cheryl rolled her eyes playfully and then looked at Veronica and Betty. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

“I’m actually going to ride with Jug and go to Sunnyside for a while," Betty answered.

Veronica pouted at that. “Wait, I’m gonna be the only one not getting to hang out at Sunnyside?”

Sweet Pea grinned suddenly. “Wednesday night party, anyone?”

“Oh my god,” Toni muttered, groaning.

Despite her reaction, though, she and Fangs were happy to have everyone come over to their trailer for a few drinks and to hang out.

They all drove back to Sunnyside and setup in the living room, pulling the dining tables over into the living area as well.

Toni, Cheryl, Veronica and Fangs were all squeezed on the couch, and Betty, Jughead, and Sweet Pea sat in the three chairs. They all had beers in their hands, and Veronica let out a happy sigh. “So this is what it feels like to hang out on the Southside.”

“You are ridiculous, V,” Betty said with a laugh.

“What? I’m just happy to be included,” Veronica insisted. “My two best friends are dating Serpents, after all.”

Cheryl smiled, leaning into Toni a little, and Toni felt her heart skip a beat. Sweet Pea cleared his throat, “How about a drinking game? This isn’t really a party until there’s a drinking game, right?”

“How about Never Have I Ever?” Veronica suggested.

“I’ll start,” Jughead offered. “Never have I ever kissed a guy.”

Everyone else in the group drank, and then Cheryl, Toni, and Jughead gave Sweet Pea an incredulous look. “When have you kissed a _guy_?” Toni asked.

Sweet Pea shrugged. “When Fangs was feeling all confused about his sexuality.”

Fangs rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a big deal. I was depressed and Sweet Pea was good friend and I stupidly kissed him. We were also drunk, though.”

“Wow, I’m proud of you for admitting that man,” Jughead said to Sweet Pea, clapping him on the back with a smirk.

“How come it’s so not weird when girls admit to kissing other girls, but when guys admit to kissing guys it’s such a big deal?” Toni asked. “This is what’s fucked up about our society and gender.”

Cheryl smiled and chuckled a little, and Toni blushed a little as Sweet Pea rolled his eyes. “I’ll go next,” he said, “Never have I ever gone to school at Riverdale High.”

Cheryl, Veronica, Betty and Jughead all lifted their beers to their lips. “What kind of question was that?” Veronica asked, after lowering her beer. “You knew what the answer was going to be.”

Sweet Pea shrugged. “Maybe I’m targeting people.” He looked to Fangs, who was next in the somewhat-circle. “Your turn.”

Fangs hummed thoughtfully, leaning back into the couch a little. “Never have I ever been blind-folded during sex.” Betty and Jughead slowly lifted their beers to their lips, and Veronica gasped.

“Oh my god, I did _not_ need to know that,” she exclaimed, shaking her head. Cheryl also made a face of disgust, and Toni suppressed a laugh.

“It’s not that weird,” Betty muttered, rolling her eyes. “Your turn, Ronnie.”

“Never have I ever had a Serpent tattoo,” Veronica said, and all of the Serpents drank.

“That one wasn’t very adventurous,” Sweet Pea commented.

Veronica lifted an eyebrow. “Well, maybe I’m _targeting_ someone.” Toni smirked, noticing the teasing dynamic between her best friend and Veronica. Cheryl glanced at her and they shared a knowing look.

Cheryl cleared her throat after a moment and said, “Um, my turn. Never have I ever… used online dating.”

Toni, Fangs, and Veronica all lifted their beers, and Cheryl looked at her funny. “What?” Toni asked, thinking about her early teenage years. “I was young and queer and wanted to hook up with people.”

“What about you, Ronnie?” Betty wondered.

Veronica shrugged. “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do sometimes.”

“And well, I’m a gay guy living in Riverdale. What do you expect?” Fangs said, shaking his head.

“But you and… what was his name, Joaquin, are dating, right?” Veronica asked curiously.

Fangs nodded. “ _Now_ we are. But that’s kind of recent. We used to just hook up, and it wasn’t like, official or anything.”

“Well, I think you guys are cute together,” Veronica informed him.

He smiled. “Thanks!”

“Your turn, Toni,” Sweet Pea interrupted.

Toni thought for a second, trying to come up with something funny, and then she decided on, “Never have I ever been caught having sex.”

Betty, Jughead, and Sweet Pea all drank, and Veronica looked at Betty and Jughead with astonishment. Betty just groaned. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Yeah, for me, my dad walked in,” Sweet Pea admitted, shrugging. “But my brother wasn’t home, so like, it wasn’t that bad. Anyway. Your turn, Betty.”

They went around one more time before the first person—Sweet Pea—ran out of beer, and then they decided to call it on Never Have I Ever. They all hung out a little while more until Toni mentioned being hungry. At that point, Betty and Jughead said that they should be going, and Veronica seemed to take that as her cue as well. Sweet Pea decided that he should head home too, because his dad was supposed to be working late and he didn’t want Noah to be home alone at night. So everyone who didn’t live in the trailer, aside from Cheryl of course, said their goodbyes and left.

Toni started to make some boxed mac and cheese, and Cheryl excused herself to Toni’s room to change. Fangs said he had some homework to get done, so he went into his room, and Toni was left alone I the kitchen for a few minutes. This afternoon had almost made her forget what had happened on Monday, but now that she was alone with her thoughts, she couldn’t help but remember.

She was distracted again, though, when Cheryl came back into the room and sat down at the dining table. “That was fun,” she said.

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, laughing a little as she added, “I think Veronica and Sweet Pea were giving each other _eyes_.”

“I noticed that too,” Cheryl admitted. “She’s been talking about how she’d like to be in a relationship, but she doesn’t want to get too committed before she leaves for college. She didn’t want to get with Archie because he doesn’t want to go to college, he wants to stay in Riverdale, and she could see things getting serious with him.”

Toni let out a hum of interest. “That’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Deciding who to date now based on what’s going to happen in like, over a year?”

Cheryl shrugged. “I mean, it’s her decision, but yeah, I would say it is a little weird. I kind of get it, though.” Toni glanced over her shoulder at Cheryl, and Cheryl met her gaze. Toni could tell that her girlfriend was thinking hard about something, and it was pretty easy to extrapolate what it was.

“You want to know what my plan after high school is.”

“I mean, I’m curious,” Cheryl answered. “Especially… after everything that happened with Felicity. And when Sweet Pea mentioned that he didn’t think anyone else on the Southside would be leaving Riverdale in a while… you seemed kind of upset about that, and about how everyone was talking about Felicity when she left. That made you really upset.”

Toni let out a breath. This wasn’t a topic she regularly thought about, especially because the idea of going off to college or leaving Riverdale just seemed… so far away. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t what she wanted. “Yeah, okay. All of that did make me upset. I feel like I’ve been underestimated all of my life, because of the shit I’ve had to go through. No one expects me to get far.”

“I do,” Cheryl spoke up gently. “You take beautiful photographs, Toni, and I know that you’d love to learn more about photography and film and art. And I know you could go so far if you wanted to. But… do you want to?”

Toni looked down at the mac and cheese, deciding that it was done, and she started to spoon it into two separate bowls. She used the moment to think on Cheryl’s question. As she brought the bowls to the table, she finally said, “Yeah. I think I do. But I don’t know how easy that will be… I have great grades and stuff, but Southside High is so shitty. What if universities are just… biased against it?”

“I’m sure that won’t happen,” Cheryl insisted. “Universities don’t care about how good your school was. They care about your grades, and your story. You know? You have to write essays and all that. And something tells me that you could write some damn good essays about the stuff you’ve been through.”

Toni sighed, looking down at her dinner. “I don’t want to get into a university because they pity me, though.”

“Toni,” Cheryl said firmly, “I don’t think anyone has ever pitied you. You’ve been through shit, but at least from what I’ve seen, you’ve always stood strong and powered through. People admire that about you. They don’t pity you.”

Toni frowned. “You really think so?”

“Yes,” Cheryl answered. “And you can ask any of your friends. I’m sure they’d agree.” Toni smiled. Her girlfriend was looking at her with the softest eyes, and it was impossible to not believe Cheryl’s words.

“Thanks, babe.”

They ate their dinner in comfortable silence, and then Cheryl volunteered to clean up the dishes, since Toni cooked the food. Once everything was cleaned up, they went into Toni’s bedroom and collapsed onto the small bed next to each other.

Cheryl let out a content sigh. “I’m glad we went to Thornhill today. It’s going to feel a little more… normal for me to have my car and my own makeup.” Toni nodded. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Of course,” Toni answered.

“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me Toni,” Cheryl said quietly. “I know I probably didn’t really thank you very much, for letting me talk to you before we started dating… and I was oblivious for a while when I was hurting you and didn’t know…”

Toni let out a quiet laugh, thinking about the truth in the statement, but the fact that Cheryl had more than made up for it. “Don’t worry about it, Cher.” Cheryl nodded and wrapped her arms around Toni, who couldn’t help but smile.

“Toni?” Cheryl asked suddenly.

“Yes?”

“Would you go to prom with me?”

Toni pulled away from Cheryl’s embrace a little, so that she could look at Cheryl’s face. “Yeah, of course,” she answered, grinning. “Honestly, after Veronica and Betty mentioned the prom thing earlier, I thought you were either going to go really big when you asked me, or you were just going to assume that I was coming with you since we sort of already talked about how I would go if I could.”

Cheryl shrugged. “I wanted to officially ask you. But I didn’t think I needed to do anything big. I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”

Toni brought her hand up and let it weave through some of Cheryl’s fiery hair. “I wouldn’t have cared either way. I’m actually really excited to go to prom. After Southside High canceled ours last year, and it was announced that we still wouldn’t have one this year, I was pretty sure prom was not in my future.”

Cheryl grinned at her. “Well, Toni, prom is now in your very near future.” Toni smiled back at the beautiful girl, then closed the distance between them with a soft, warm kiss. Cheryl pulled Toni impossibly closer, and then rolled on top of Toni, who squeaked in surprise. Cheryl’s hands found their way underneath Toni’s shirt, and Toni hummed pleasantly. Her clothes were suddenly being removed, and Cheryl murmured, “I hope you weren’t planning on going to sleep early.”

Toni bit down on her lower lip as a chuckle escaped her lips. “Never.” As their lips came back together, Toni felt her heart swell at the fact that Cheryl seemed to be feeling so much better after the past few days. And as she reveled in her night with her girlfriend, she thanked the universe that everything on Monday had played out the way it had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the Cheryl rescue wasn't too underwhelming, reading it back it felt a little that way but I think it didn't need to be too much bigger.
> 
> Thank you all for your comments, tweets, and DMs about this story, I so appreciate it! Thank you for being here reading <3 Next chapter will be up Sunday, and I look forward to seeing you then, but in the meantime, feel free to follow me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories if you ever just wanna chat or stalk my tweets or something hehe <3
> 
> Have a great weekend everyone!


	20. i'll put a little love on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toni's loving having Cheryl stay with her, even if her girlfriend is suddenly so busy with prom preparations. Also! Prom night :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon, lovelies!  
> A nice long chapter for you all today! Goes along with 26 and 27 of What A Time. You know what that means y'all? We are almost done! This is the 3rd to last chapter of this story, omg how time flies?!
> 
> Enjoy! xx

The rest of the week passed surprisingly easily. Cheryl seemed to be doing a lot better now that she had her makeup, clothes, and her car at Toni’s trailer. Toni was also feeling significantly more relaxed as her girlfriend returned to her usual self. Still, she felt bad anytime she had to leave Cheryl completely alone, which meant that when FP called her on Saturday to come help with a job, she was very reluctant to agree. FP didn’t make it sound like an option, though, and Toni knew that her literal housing situation was dependent on her contributions to the gang, which she explained to Cheryl after agreeing to head to the job. Cheryl was very understanding, though, which Toni appreciated.

So Toni spent a good few hours of her Saturday, _before_ work, on the outskirts of Riverdale, loading the newest mysterious shipment from their outside contact onto one of the few trucks that the Serpents used.

It was just her, FP, Tall Boy, and another older Serpent, so Toni felt a little bit out of place, but when FP started chatting with her, she worried that she’d been brought along for some other reason.

“Hey, Toni,” FP said, as they started to wrap up the job. “How’re things? How’s the new place treating you?”

“Good,” Toni answered with a nod, her mind scrambling to figure out if she’d done anything wrong that she could be about to get in trouble for. “Yeah, thank you again, by the way. For, you know, letting me stay there sort of on the same terms as Fangs.”

“Of course,” FP said with a nod. “You know, I just felt like I should check in on you. I was talking to Vic, and I know you’ve been through some shit these past few months with your uncle. Wish I could’ve been doing more for you, but Vic said he had your back, so I hope that was enough.”

“Oh yeah, definitely,” Toni insisted. “Vic’s always been great, and it was really great of him to let me stay with them for a while. I’m just glad to have a place that feels more like mine now. I mean, even my place at Tristan’s wasn’t mine, you know? Especially not when he would kick me out for like, breathing wrong.”

FP nodded, frowning. “It makes it hard that he’s your legal guardian, otherwise you know I would’ve tried to do more for you when you were younger. Logistics get in the way of that stuff.”

“Yeah, I guess in that way, it’s a good thing he finally just kicked me out,” Toni said with a sad laugh, “so I could actually get out of there.”

“Well, you’ve got family in the Serpents, you know that. We’ve always got your back,” FP told her with a smile. “Speaking of having people’s backs…”

Toni braced herself, sure that this is where she was going to get in trouble.

“Jughead told me—vaguely—about what happened at the Blossoms on Monday.”

Toni chewed on the inside of her lip. Was FP mad that Cheryl was staying with her? Maybe because she’s a Blossom? “Yeah,” Toni said quietly.

“I don’t mean to pry,” FP insisted, “but the two of you haven’t been so secretive. I know you two are dating.”

“Yeah, we are. We’re not really keeping it a secret,” Toni answered, shifting awkwardly and wondering when the ball was going to drop. “Um… is there a problem or something?”

“No,” FP answered, shaking his head. “Just… the Blossoms, Cheryl’s parents, they’re not good people. So it doesn’t surprise me what they tried to do. And I’m sure that’s a lot for Cheryl to deal with, she’s lucky to have you. But I wanted to check in with you, make sure you’re okay after all that.”

Toni blinked, surprised at this turn of events. “Oh. Yeah, I mean. I’m fine. It all turned out okay, so.”

“Yeah, but… that must’ve been hard.”

Toni crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t good at this sort of stuff—opening up to adults. Even the ones who had protected her ever since her parents were put away. “Yeah, I mean… if I ever lay eyes on Penelope Blossom, someone will probably have to hold me back, but… I’m fine.”

FP hummed, looking at her like he didn’t believe her words. “Okay. Well, don’t forget—Serpents are family. We all have your back.” Toni smiled a little. “Alright, guess we’re ready to get this to the Wyrm, just in time for your shift, right?”

“Yep.”

* * *

Cheryl came to the bar that night, while Toni was working. Toni could tell that it was a little uncomfortable for her girlfriend, since none of their other friends were there, but she still sat at the bar sipping a beer while Toni worked. Toni was just glad that she wasn’t alone, especially after spending the whole day away from her.

At some point, Toni noticed Cody and his friends talking to Cheryl, and she immediately became concerned. However, she didn’t get a spare moment to go check on them before she saw Cheryl getting up and slipping out of the bar. Cody and his friends didn’t follow her, so Toni wasn’t too concerned, but she still got slightly clammy hands thinking about her girlfriend outside by herself.

Okay, so maybe she was still anxious over everything that happened on Monday.

Cheryl came in a couple minutes later though, and then started talking to Cody and his friends again. At the end of the conversation, the four guys handed a bunch of cash to Cheryl, and Toni lifted an eyebrow. As soon as she had a spare moment, she headed over toward her, and the guys started back to the pool tables.

“What was that?” Toni wondered, as Cheryl looked at her curiously.

“He wanted prom tickets,” Cheryl answered. “I called Veronica, and we were able to get the price to half.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow, remembering a mention of a fundraiser, but not understanding how it was already done. “So… what’s the fundraiser?”

“It’s done,” Cheryl answered with a shrug. “Lodge Industries and Blossom Maple Farms have both agreed to graciously donate twenty-five dollars toward every Southside student purchased ticket.”

Toni frowned. “Does that mean that you and Veronica are making up the difference?”

Cheryl shook her head adamantly. “No, our parents are. It’s a donation, a tax write-off. It’s not a big deal, seriously. We came up with this idea too late to actually fundraise. And think about it. If we asked the families of Riverdale High students to donate hundreds of dollars so that Southside students could go to their children’s prom, how much money would we raise? People on the Northside don’t believe in giving money away to people they don’t think did anything to earn it.”

Toni nodded slowly, thinking about how Cheryl used to think that way. She was confident that Cheryl didn’t think that anymore, but it was still weird to think that she once had. “Alright, I guess you’re right. Well. Thanks for doing that, babe. How much do I owe you for my ticket, then? Twenty-five?”

Cheryl furrowed her eyebrows. “Um, no. I’ve got your ticket. You’re _my_ date, I’m paying for your ticket.”

Toni frowned a little. “Come on, Cheryl, that’s fifty dollars.”

“Twenty-five dollars. And it doesn’t matter. I asked you to _my_ prom, I’m buying the tickets. Okay? You can’t fight me on this.”

Toni blew out a breath, giving in. “Okay, fine.”

Cheryl gave Toni a sweet smile that made Toni’s heart skip a beat. “Don’t tell me you’re not excited to be _taken_ to prom? I’ll take care of everything, okay? You deserve to be treated like a queen, after all.”

Toni felt her cheeks burning all of the sudden. No one had ever said that to her, and yeah, it felt good. “Alright, maybe it’s okay…” Cheryl grinned.

“By the way, I’m going dress shopping tomorrow with Veronica and Betty. Do you want to come with?”

“No, I already know what I’m going to wear.”

Cheryl looked intrigued. “Can I ask what it is?”

Toni thought about her meager clothing options—she owned one really nice dress, and it was a hand-me down. “Felicity had this really nice dress, , from back when she went to prom. She got some kind of crazy deal on it—she’s really good at getting deals—and after she used it, she gave it to me. She said since I’m basically like a little sister to her, that I deserved to have it. I’ve been holding onto it since, it’s probably the most expensive thing I own. I figure I should use it.”

Cheryl nodded slowly, then tilting her head a little. “Did younger Toni have a crush on Felicity?”

Toni furrowed her eyebrows. “No!” Cheryl smiled a little, quirking an eyebrow. Toni had no idea how Cheryl had managed to figure out that tiny little Toni might’ve at one point had a crush on Felicity. “Maybe a little. But like, _way younger_ Toni, back when she used to babysit me. I didn’t really _know_ it back then, you know? But she is like my big sister now.”

“I know,” Cheryl said with a smile. “Okay, I’m glad you already know what you’re going to wear. I’ll just go with Veronica and Betty then.”

“Sounds good, babe,” Toni said, smiling softly. “Alright, gonna get back to work. Do you want something other than beer to drink?”

“Sure… make me something,” Cheryl suggested. “Something you’d think I’d like.”

Toni grinned. “Okay, this will be fun.”

* * *

Cheryl was out on Sunday dress shopping with her friends, and Toni was out working all evening, but when she got home, finding Cheryl asleep in her bed was the best greeting. Toni immediately crawled into her bed, pressing little kisses to the side of Cheryl’s face until her girlfriend started to wake up. When Cheryl smiled softly, Toni teased, “I can’t believe you fell asleep without me. Was dress shopping that tiring?”

“No,” Cheryl murmured. “How was work?”

“It was fine. What was so tiring if it wasn’t shopping?”

Cheryl shrugged, rubbing at her eyes. Toni stared at her adorable girlfriend, waiting for her to say something. Suddenly, the redhead said, sleepily, “Oh, I meant to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Toni wondered, lifting an eyebrow.

“You know how I brought those clothes over and gave them away to people here?” Cheryl asked, and Toni nodded. “Well, while we were shopping, Veronica was talking about how she has old clothes she doesn’t need, and I was thinking… maybe we can do like, a clothing drive. For everyone here at Sunnyside.”

Toni was surprised to hear that. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Cheryl blinked. “Do you think that’s a bad idea?”

“I mean, no,” Toni answered, thinking about it, “but I guess… I guess I’m just surprised that you want to do that.”

“Why?”

Toni thought about her reasoning and decided that she was probably just being a little stereotypical. Her girlfriend had been defying expectations since she met her. She should underestimate her now. Shaking her head, she said, “Never mind. I think that’s a good idea.”

“I was thinking maybe we could throw in like, canned foods and stuff too,” Cheryl suggested. “I don’t know. I just know that people over here could use it, and I know that money isn’t steady for most people here, and definitely not abundant if it is steady.”

Toni brought her hand to Cheryl’s face, brushing some hair away and stroking her cheek. She stared at the beautiful girl below her, wondering how she was so lucky. “You’ve grown a lot, you know? Since I met you.”

“Yeah, that’s why you ended up liking and then dating me, isn’t it?” Cheryl asked.

Toni laughed at that—as if she hadn’t started liking Cheryl until she was making big strides. Her eyes raked over her beautiful girlfriend as she answered, “No, that’s not why. I’m dating you because I think it’s beautiful that you _want_ to be better, and that you’re _willing_ to learn. Not to mention that you’re just… gorgeous and sexy and funny and badass and sweet.” Toni pushed Cheryl down flat on her back and straddled her over her waist. Cheryl’s chest rose and fell quickly, her eyes darkening. Toni ran her hands down Cheryl’s bare arms, noticing the fading bruises from Monday.

“Am I all those things?” Cheryl murmured, her eyes following Toni’s hands as Toni began to take her Serpent jacket off.

“Mmhmm,” Toni hummed. She reached down to grab the bottom of Cheryl’s pajama shirt, and swiftly pulled it up and off of the girl, Cheryl lifting her arms to help. “Did I mention sexy?”

“Maybe,” Cheryl answered with a low laugh. Toni ducked down so that her face was level with Cheryl’s breasts, and sucked her right nipple into her mouth, nibbling down on it gently. Cheryl inhaled sharply, her back arching abruptly. “Mm, Toni…”

“Shh,” Toni hushed her, her hands moving to Cheryl’s waist and pulling off her pajama pants, “no talking.” Cheryl moaned, and Toni once again hushed her, “ _Shh_.”

Toni trailed her lips down from Cheryl’s boobs to her belly button, and then continued to kiss lower to the edge of her underwear. She tasted Cheryl’s skin as she sucked little kisses into her skin. She could tell that Cheryl was holding in any sounds as best as she could as Toni pulled off her underwear and threw it off of the bed. Cheryl let out a long, shaky exhale, and Toni gripped her thighs, digging her fingers into them.

Slowly, Toni brought her lips to Cheryl’s hot, wet center, and Cheryl immediately gasped. Despite her want, Toni pulled away, getting a whimper from her girlfriend. “Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?” Toni asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“Shh, baby. Don’t you want to be good for me?”

Cheryl bit down on her lower lip and nodded quickly. Toni took in the view for a moment as she smirked, and then ducked back down. She brought her tongue right to Cheryl’s clit, impressed as her girlfriend managed to stay quiet. She teased her as best as she could, but Cheryl managed to keep quiet.

But as soon as Toni slipped two fingers inside of her, Cheryl released the moan that Toni was waited for. Toni froze her movements, and Cheryl whimpered. “No, Toni, please…”

“I thought you were going to be quiet, baby?” Toni tutted, her lips right next to Cheryl’s clit.

“Please, Toni, please don’t stop,” Cheryl begged, “please, I need you, please.”

Toni hummed teasingly. “I don’t know…”

“Please, I’ll do anything, Toni, please,” Cheryl pleaded, her hands coming to Toni’s hair and tangling her fingers into it. Toni gasped silently at the feeling but pushed her own need aside as she focused on Cheryl’s words.

“Mm, anything, huh? Well, I’ll keep that in mind, then,” she whispered, finally giving in and touching Cheryl again. Cheryl, impressively, stayed pretty quiet most of the time, right up until the moment Toni finally got her to her climax, at which point she was definitely _not_ quiet. Toni grinned as her girlfriend fell into a sweaty mess on the bed. “Good girl,” Toni murmured, pressing kisses up Cheryl’s thighs and then to her stomach. Cheryl hummed happily, and Toni crawled all the way up the bed to lay next to her.

“That was so hot,” Cheryl murmured.

“I’m glad you thought so.” Toni smiled. “So… as far as that ‘I’ll do anything?’” Cheryl lifted an eyebrow, clearly waiting for Toni to cash it in immediately. Toni just grinned. “I’ll be saving that for later.”

“Don’t make me regret saying that.”

Toni laughed softly. “I don’t know if I can promise that…”

Cheryl suddenly rolled on top of Toni, and Toni was surprised at the sudden movement. “You better promise…”

“Sorry, babe, you’re the one who said it…”

Cheryl huffed adorably, and then said, “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to do my best to make sure that you forget I said it.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow, her heart racing. Her center was throbbing as she asked, “And how do you plan to do that?”

“There’s one way I can think of…” Cheryl trailed off, her hands finding the button on Toni’s pants. In a matter of seconds, they were gone, along with Toni’s underwear. Toni gasped in surprise, suddenly naked from the waist down.

“I have a feeling I’m going to like this,” Toni said with a low chuckle, biting down on her lower lip.

“Don’t get too excited,” Cheryl whispered, “you teased me… now I get to tease you…”

Toni smirked. “I think I can take it, Bombshell.”

“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

“I guess we will.”

And they did. Toni tried to prove that she could take it—Cheryl’s teasing tongue against her clit and her fingers disappearing just before Toni could come multiple times—but before she knew it, she was begging and pleading to finally come. She forgot about the fact that Fangs might hear her—all she wanted was Cheryl to make her come. And when she finally hit her orgasm, she clung to Cheryl’s body desperately, her body shaking dramatically as Cheryl didn’t let up on her movements.

And Cheryl fell on top of her afterward, the two of them kissing lazily and cuddling naked in Toni’s bed—the perfect end to the night.

* * *

The week leading up to prom was pretty boring for Toni. Cheryl was occupied with planning the after party, which she had decided to host at her family’s _second_ home, Thistlehouse. When Toni heard about these plans, she laughed for a solid minute about the fact that Cheryl’s family owned a second home called _Thistlehouse_. Thornhill and Thistlehouse. She couldn’t get over it.

Cheryl was also busy distributing prom tickets and organizing this donation drive thing for the Serpents. Toni wanted to offer more help on that, but the truth was that she was a little lost on the whole idea. Cheryl seemed to have this strong motivation to do it, but Toni was a little worried about the Serpents taking it the wrong way, and she was just… kind of confused. Sweet Pea seemed all on board with it, and even FP seemed happy about it, but Toni just felt like she was missing something.

So she stayed out of it a bit and ended up just having a pretty boring week. It was especially weird considering that Cheryl was living with her the whole time. She wasn’t quite sure how that had happened—Cheryl suddenly having so much to do—but she was trying not to be butthurt over it. She was happy that Cheryl was able to put her attention somewhere and not get swallowed by everything that had happened the previous week.

Toni had been trying to stay entertained, though, and she and Sweet Pea had a bet going about what color Cheryl’s dress was going to be. Toni was pretty confident that it was going to be red, but Sweet Pea thought she would take a different choice. Loser coughs up ten bucks. Toni was pretty sure she’d be ten dollars richer on Friday.

Prom day was surprisingly hectic even at Southside High, because a bunch of students were getting excited to go to the junior prom at Riverdale later that night. Toni was still pretty surprised at how many people had ended up buying tickets, and she was impressed at Cheryl’s plan. Even if it was the Blossoms and the Lodges paying the difference. She tried to think of it as Penelope Blossom paying her back after almost stealing Cheryl away to a gay conversion school.

After school on Friday, Toni headed straight home to get ready. Cheryl was going straight to the Pembrooke after school—Vixens practice was canceled—to get ready with Betty and Veronica. They had invited Toni to join, but she felt like getting ready on her own.

Okay, maybe she was a little excited at the prospect of Cheryl picking her up for prom.

Plus, Cheryl had agreed that a surprise effect of seeing each other after they got ready would be cute.

Right when Toni got home from school, though, she got a text from Cheryl.

**Cheryl – My mother showed up just now, at RH. We had a standoff in front of the school that probably like forty other students saw. I don’t even know how to feel right now.**

Toni saw red for a second, and then realized that if Cheryl was texting her, Penelope had obviously not whisked her away.

**Toni – Shit, well… just breathe, okay? You’re okay. Is she gone now?**

**Cheryl – Probably. Veronica and Betty got me away from her, and now I’m in my car, about to head to the Pembrooke. I just wanted to text you first.**

**Toni – Well, Veronica and Betty have your back. Don’t think about you mom, think about the amazing night we’re going to have tonight. Okay?**

Toni needed to follow her own advice tonight, too.

**Cheryl – You’re right. I wish you were getting ready with us at Ronnie’s.**

**Toni – I thought you wanted the surprise effect when we see each other?**

**Cheryl – I do, but what if I can’t hold myself together after seeing my mother?**

Toni let out a long breath, trying to think of how she could reassure her girlfriend.

**Toni – Cheryl, you are one of the strongest people I know. And I’ve seen you face off with your mother, and she might’ve thought she was going to get a win last week, but she didn’t. You did. You are standing on the high ground now, babe. Don’t forget that. Anything she’s doing to try and scare you is just her trying to crawl to your level.**

**Cheryl – Damn. You’re good at pep talks.**

**Toni – You’re just now realizing this? ;)**

**Cheryl – No, I guess not. Thanks, TT.**

Toni lifted an eyebrow at the nickname.

**Toni – TT?**

**Cheryl – Do you hate it? When Sweet Pea called you Tiny Toni last week, I realized that TT sounded really cute. Plus, it’s also your initials.**

**Toni – So, as a nickname, TT? Like how you call Jason JJ?**

**Cheryl – Yeah, I guess so… you hate it?**

Toni bit down on her lower lip, imagining Cheryl biting down on her lower lip nervously as she texted the question.

**Toni – No, but you better not let any of the guys hear you call me that. I have a reputation to uphold, you know.**

**Cheryl – You’re adorable.**

Toni was definitely blushing.

**Toni – Shut up, no I’m not.**

**Cheryl – Whatever you say, TT.**

**Toni – Aren’t you supposed to be headed to the Pembrooke right now? Are you texting and driving?**

**Cheryl – Fine, I’m leaving now. See you in about an hour?**

**Toni – Can’t wait.**

Toni smiled to herself as she set her phone down on her dresser and closed herself in her room. She opened her bottom dresser drawer and produced the black dress that Felicity had given her a couple of years ago. Felicity was taller than Toni, but the dress had been pretty short on her, so on Toni it should reach just above her knees. The skirt was more fluffed out than the fitted top, and honestly, Toni was really excited to wear it.

Before she got dressed, she took a quick shower and used her pink and purple hair dye shampoo mixture, which she used sometimes instead of just touching up the permanent dye, to make her hair look a little more vibrant. After getting out and blow drying it, she changed into the dress and did her makeup, and finished her look with some simple silver jewelry.

When she was all dressed, Toni walked out into the living area and saw Fangs and Joaquin—Joaquin had Fangs pressed up against the door and they were making out quite aggressively. Both of them were all dressed up for prom as well. “Uh, hey guys,” Toni said with a laugh. The two guys quickly separated, turning to face Toni.

“Hey,” Fangs said, smirking a little as Joaquin blushed. “You look good, Tiny.”

“Thanks. You guys do, too.”

“You’re getting in a fancy ass limo with Jug and the Northsiders, right?” Fangs wondered.

“Yep,” Toni answered with a laugh. “It’s gonna be… weird.”

“Don’t be weird about it, you’re getting taken out in a freaking limo. Just appreciate it,” Joaquin teased.

“Are you two heading out soon?” Toni wondered, knowing that she needed to meet Jughead at the entrance to Sunnyside soon for the limo to pick them up.

“We’re uh,” Fangs started, glancing at Joaquin with a small smirk, “we’re gonna be running a little late.”

Toni quirked an eyebrow. “Right. Well, you two have fun with that, I should probably get going.”

“We’ll see you there,” Fangs said with a grin.

So Toni left the trailer and walked through the trailer park to the front, where she found Jughead in a slightly oversized suit. “Hey, Jug,” Toni greeted.

Jughead turned and looked at her. “Wow, you look great, Toni.”

“Thanks, you’re not too bad yourself,” Toni said. “You ready for this prom thing?”

“As ever,” he answered. “Betty already got me doing the whole prom-posal and all that. Now all I have to do it smile for some pictures and dance, so. Shouldn’t be too bad. You?”

“Yeah. Cheryl’s really excited, so of course I am, too.”

Suddenly, a black limo was pulling up in front of the trailer park entrance, and Toni took in a breath.

The limo driver got out of the car and came around to open the back door. Toni and Jughead took hesitant steps closer, and then climbed in.

“Hey!” Veronica greeted them brightly. “Welcome to the Lodge Limo of the evening!”

Toni immediately sat by Cheryl, who was wearing a gorgeous red dress, a black gemstone necklace, matching bracelet, dark red lipstick, and dark, alluring makeup. Her red hair fell in gorgeous waves. Toni felt her heart pound in her chest as she tried not to seem so enamored—although she totally was. “I’ve never even seen a limo in person,” Toni said, as Cheryl grabbed her hand, “let alone been in one.”

Toni glanced around the space as the driver got back into the front and started to drive the vehicle. The others started to chat, but Toni realized that she hadn’t gotten a response from Cheryl. When she looked back at her girlfriend, Cheryl’s dark eyes were still trained at her. “What are you staring at?” Toni asked.

“You look beautiful. Just… stunning.”

Toni couldn’t even fight her smile. “Thank you. You do, too. Sweet Pea and I had a bet going on this week about what color your dress was going to be, since you never told me. He thought you were going to go for something simpler than the obvious choice of red. I told him that you would never pass up an opportunity to _rock_ a beautiful red dress.”

Cheryl blushed, which Toni noticed even in the not very lit limo. “Well, you’ve won the bet then, TT.” Toni chuckled a little when she heard the nickname out loud.

“So how are you doing? After everything that happened earlier?”

“I’m okay,” Cheryl assured her. “Getting ready with Veronica and Betty was a good distraction. And if it wasn’t good enough, seeing you in that dress is the ultimate distraction.”

Toni smiled. “Happy to help, as usual.” She closed the distance between them with a kiss. It was only a few seconds long, but Jughead teasingly snapped his fingers at them.

“Okay, okay, save it for the after party,” he teased.

Toni flipped him off, getting laughs from the rest of the group. Then, Veronica spoke up, “Okay, so keep it on the DL, but…” She opened a compartment next to her and produced a bottle of champagne.

“Ooh, we’re already drinking?” Betty asked.

“It’s prom, my friends,” Veronica answered with a grin. “Grab a glass—if you haven’t noticed, they’re all around you.” They each grabbed the glass closest to them and Veronica poured them all a generous glass of champagne. When she set the bottle down, she lifted her glass and said, “To our friendships and relationships, and celebrating our junior prom with the people who make us happy!” Toni smiled—she would definitely toast to that.

“Cheers!” everyone toasted in response, then taking sips of the champagne.

The ride to the restaurant wasn’t long enough for them to drink enough to feel much, and they left their half full glasses of champagne in the limo as they climbed out in front of the building. They had reservations, so they were able to be seated and order their dinner almost right away. They all talked and laughed together as they enjoyed their meals, and Toni noticed Cheryl looking happier than she had in a while. And Toni, too, was feeling quite happy and lucky to be here with her girlfriend.

They all got the chance to finish their glasses on the trip from the restaurant to The Five Seasons, although that was an even shorter drive. When they got out of the limo, they saw a red carpet rolled out in front of the hotel doors. The Riverdale High prom was in an event room of the hotel, and they followed the carpet into the building and to the correct room.

Standing outside the room, Cheryl held her arm out for Toni, who looked at her with reddened cheeks “Shall we?” Toni chuckled shyly, accepting her arm, and they walked together, flanked by the rest of their friends, into Riverdale High’s Junior Prom.

The party had definitely already started, with music playing and lights flashing. Some platters of hors d'oeuvres were spread out on tables on the far wall, and tables and chairs were scattered around between those and the dance area, where most people were already gathered. Toni took it all in, surprised at how bougie it seemed to be. At the same time, though, she wasn’t _really_ that surprised. “This is one hell of a party,” she said, “Southside High proms were always in the gym.”

“Hey guys!” Sweet Pea was suddenly exclaiming from behind them. Cheryl and Toni both turned around to face him, and Toni saw Fangs and Joaquin with him. “Fancy seeing you here.” Toni took in her Serpent friends, who were all wearing their best suits—which were definitely borrowed, based on their incorrect size. Still, they looked nice and cleaned up.

“You three look nice,” Cheryl complimented them.

“Yeah, apparently, they _can_ comb their hair every now and then,” Toni teased. “You guys excited?”

“Hell yeah,” Fangs answered. “Come on, Joaquin, let’s get some of these fancy ass snacks.” The two of them went off towards the food, and Sweet Pea grinned at Toni and Cheryl.

“Sorry, don’t let me intrude on your date,” he teased. “I’m hoping to somehow turn this into a date for me too…”

“You going to seduce a Northside girl?” Toni asked with a chuckle.

“Stranger things have happened,” Sweet Pea insisted, looking between the two girls pointedly.

Cheryl smirked. “Well, I know at least one Northsider here tonight is looking for a hookup.”

“Veronica?” Sweet Pea asked, lifting an eyebrow. Cheryl just shrugged, and he grinned. “Thanks for the tip, Red.” He started off toward the dance floor, and Toni looked curiously at Cheryl.

“Are you suddenly playing matchmaker?”

Cheryl shrugged. “She could use it, trust me.”

“If you say so,” Toni said with a little laugh.

Cheryl smiled sweetly at her. “So, Miss Topaz, would you care to dance?” Toni bit down on her lower lip, looking up at the gorgeous girl and those soft, dark eyes.

“I’d love to.”

They danced to some fast paced music for a while, laughing and having fun and being silly. They saw their friends a few times and traded dance partners around a couple of times, but only ever for a few seconds, because they were both way too clingy to be apart tonight.

The first time a slow song came on, Cheryl wrapped her arms gingerly around Toni’s shoulders, and Toni brought her hands to her girlfriend’s waist. Cheryl looked surprisingly nervous as they began to sway to the music, so Toni just smiled softly at her, and held her waist firmly, hoping to steady her.

Their eyes were locked, and their lips were just inches apart. Toni wished she could just kiss the rest of the night away right here and now, but there was still so much of the night ahead of them, so she refrained.

The song ended, and then Veronica, Sweet Pea, Betty, Jughead, and Archie were ambushing them as a line dance song came on—Cupid’s Shuffle. “You can’t have a high school dance without this song,” Cheryl said with a shrug. Toni laughed, shaking her head, and grabbed Cheryl’s hand.

They danced like weirdos to the line dance—Toni even managed to grab a recording of Sweet Pea doing the dance, which he was totally pissed about—and then the went back to dancing normally as the music switched away from the line dance.

Eventually, they were pretty tired out, so they decided to get a snack at the other end of the event room and sat at a table close to the dance floor. Not long after they sat down, one of the chaperones—a teacher, probably—started to make an announcement from a stage by the dance floor.

“Good evening, students of Riverdale High—and Southside High,” she said, getting everyone’s attention, “I hope you are all enjoying yourselves. At this point, it is time to announce our prom royalty. First, let me read the names of the nominees.”

Toni had totally forgotten about prom royalty—mostly because after Cheryl had mentioned it briefly once, she hadn’t brought it up again. She hadn’t mentioned it all during this whole past week, when she’d been planning the party and the donation drive and everything else. “Did you end up putting your name in for that?” Toni asked, looking at Cheryl curiously.

Cheryl exhaled for a long moment. “No.”

“I thought you didn’t want Heather to win it?”

“I decided that I don’t care,” Cheryl told her girlfriend. “I got what I wanted out of this night—to be able to take you to prom, and to let other Southside High students have a prom night, too. If Heather gets prom queen, then good for her, I guess. It doesn’t affect me.”

Toni smiled softly at her. “That’s very big of you, babe. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” Cheryl answered with a little laugh. “I don’t need something like prom queen to be happy. And in my eyes, we are already queens. You, at least, look the part.”

Toni bit down on her lower lip again, her eyes raking over her girlfriend. “You too, babe. You look incredible tonight. And I know you already know it, but red? _So_ your color.”

“Quiet down, everyone,” the teacher called out, and everyone quieted, turning their attention back to the stage. “So, out of those nominees, our winner of Junior Prom Royalty is… _Heather Wright_ and _Reggie Mantle_!”

Cheryl made a disgusted face. “She went with _Reggie_?”

“I thought it didn’t affect you?” Toni smirked out of amusement.

“It doesn’t,” Cheryl insisted, “but I just can’t believe she stooped so low.”

“You rank Reggie lower than Cody?” Toni wondered, just poking the fire at this point.

Cheryl shrugged. “I don’t really know Cody well enough. But I do know that Reggie is a misogynistic asshole, and Heather slept with him like, two years ago, before swearing she would never even touch him ever again. And now look at them.” The two of them were walking to the stage, hand in hand. “She probably expected me to be her competition. And she knew that Reggie would get a lot of votes.”

Toni chuckled. “Maybe.” Heather and Reggie accepted their crowns, and then stepped back down to the dance floor as another slow song started, and they started dancing together. Toni let out a breath as she watched Cheryl watch the two of them for a moment, and then she said, “Hey, let’s get a couple more dances in before we leave?”

Cheryl looked back at Toni, suddenly back to looking like the happiest girl in the world. “Let’s.”

* * *

Thistlehouse was significantly smaller than Thornhill, Toni could understand that, but that didn’t meant that the house wasn’t _huge_. Because it was. It was huge. Plus, there was a pool. Which was heated. Toni wished she’d brought a bathing suit.

“I can’t believe this is your family’s _second_ house,” Sweet Pea muttered as they walked in. They’d all arrived right around the same time, some of the group in the limo, and Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Joaquin on their motorcycles. “How often do you guys even live in here?”

“Pretty much never,” Cheryl admitted. “It used to be my Nana’s house, until she moved into Thornhill with us. Now she doesn’t even live with us, so we pretty much never come here. That’s why I nearly completely forgot about it.”

“Imagine _forgetting_ you owned a second house,” Fangs mumbled, going over to the alcohol on the counter.

“Oh shut up, you two,” Toni snapped at them, not wanting to upset Cheryl.

“How about some shots?” Archie suggested, grabbing a bottle of tequila.

“I’m down,” Veronica agreed.

Sweet Pea suddenly perked up. “Me too.” Veronica glanced at him and gave him a small smile, and Toni and Cheryl exchanged an amused look.

They took down two rounds of shots to start off the night, and just as they finished, there was a knock on the door. “More party guests?” Betty asked.

“I guess so,” Cheryl answered, going to the door. Toni peered around her girlfriend, seeing multiple Riverdale High Bulldogs and Vixens standing at the door, led by Jason. “Welcome,” Cheryl said, letting them all in. She then looked at Jason and they shared a conversation that Toni didn’t quite hear over the sound of all the new partygoers.

And the party only got bigger from there. More people from Riverdale High, as well as people from Southside High, showed up. Eventually, the whole kitchen, living room, and back patio were full of people.

Toni kept losing Cheryl though, and would find her cleaning up after people. After about an hour of that, Toni finally stopped her. “Babe, have you even done anything fun since this party started?”

“I’m just making sure things don’t get too trashed,” Cheryl insisted.

“Two shots in and you’re still so responsible?” Toni asked with a laugh. “Come on, I think you need another.”

“Well, unlike you, TT, it takes more than a few drinks to get me drunk,” Cheryl said pointedly.

“Oh no, this is not a time for you to roast me for being small and therefore more of a lightweight than you,” Toni countered, looking pointedly at her girlfriend. “I don’t want you to get _drunk_ , I just want you to have a good time.”

“I am having a good time,” Cheryl insisted. Toni grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the patio, deciding on a different approach.

“Okay fine, no more shots. How about a smoke?”

Cheryl narrowed her eyes, but then agreed with a curt, “Fine.” Toni smiled, pulling Cheryl outside. There were a couple shirtless Bulldogs in the pool splashing around drunkenly, and some Vixens with their dresses hiked up and their feet in the water. Other than that, quite a few people were scattered across the patio drinking and talking loudly.

Cheryl and Toni leaned against the brick of Thistlehouse as Toni fumbled with her little purse, pulling out a joint and her lighter. She lit it and handed it to Cheryl, who slowly took a hit, then passing it back. “If this doesn’t work,” Toni said, after taking a hit as well, “I know _just_ the thing to relax you…”

“Oh yeah?” Cheryl asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Toni bit down on her lower lip. “You’ve got a room in this house, right?”

Cheryl looked at her with dark eyes. “Duh.”

“Lemme guess—it’s all red here, too?”

“I’m sorry, is you making fun of me supposed to be relaxing?” Cheryl gave her a glare that Toni knew was all for show.

Toni smirked. “Sorry.”

“I’ll definitely be sure to show you my room before the night is over, TT.”

“Good.”

Cheryl seemed to relax after smoking some weed, and the two of them went back to dancing and hanging out with everyone. At some point, Sweet Pea came barreling toward the two of them. “Whoa, dude,” Toni said, “what’s up?”

The grin that spread on his face was enough to clue Toni in, and then he asked, “You got any open rooms in this house?”

“There’s like, five bedrooms in this house. All upstairs. Stay _out_ of the red one,” Cheryl answered, narrowing her gaze at him.

“Great, thanks!” He darted off in another direction, and Toni looked at Cheryl, who was giving her a curious look.

“Do you think it’s Veronica?”

“To be honest,” Toni said with a shrug, “he doesn’t get hookups very often. He’d probably sleep with any of the Vixens.” Cheryl laughed at that. She looked around the room, and Toni wasn’t quite sure what she was doing for a moment, and then she realized that she was looking to see if she could see Veronica anywhere. Toni sighed a little, wrapping her arms around Cheryl’s neck and drawing her girlfriend’s attention back to her. “Who cares? I think he has the right idea, though…”

“There’s still so many people here,” Cheryl murmured.

Toni tilted her head. “Isn’t Jason here? He can take care of it, right?” She brought her lips to Cheryl’s neck, teasing Cheryl with the tip of her tongue and pressing soft kisses to the sensitive area. “Come on, baby,” she whispered close to Cheryl’s ear, “show me your room…”

Toni heard Cheryl suck in a breath, and apparently that was all it took to convince Cheryl. They were suddenly racing upstairs, going down a long hallway. They passed a room that sex noises were definitely coming from, and Toni smirked, “They got to work fast.”

Cheryl didn’t seem to care anymore though, just pulling Toni straight into another room. The bedroom looked almost identical to the one at Thornhill, but it was a little smaller. Instead of a couch, there was a cushioned window seat and a red chair. Still, the room was overly extravagant in Toni’s opinion.

“Damn, you should just move in here,” Toni commented.

“Technically, that could be a possibility,” Cheryl told her. “It’s technically in my Nana’s name still. But since my mother is still my legal guardian, not sure that would work. Once I turn eighteen, I bet my Nana would let me.”

Toni walked toward Cheryl’s bed, running her fingers over the comforter, waiting for Cheryl to come closer to her. When she didn’t, she turned to look at her girlfriend, who still stood by the door, which was still open. “Well, are you just going to keep standing there?” Toni teased. Cheryl closed the door finally, locking it, and walked closer to Toni. She brought her hands to Toni’s exposed shoulders.

“It’s weird seeing you without a Serpent jacket on for so long,” Cheryl admitted, her thumbs stroking Toni’s soft skin. Toni let out a slightly shaky breath.

“It’s weird not wearing it for so long,” Toni responded. She brought her hands to the straps of Cheryl’s dress, pulling them over her shoulders and causing the dress to fall a little bit. Cheryl let out a breath, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

Cheryl began to take Toni’s off of her too, and pretty soon, they were dress-less, left only in their underwear. Cheryl had worn red lingerie today, and Toni could barely hold herself together as she saw the lacy garments against Cheryl's silky skin.

“Damn, you’re so sexy,” Toni murmured, her hands coming to Cheryl’s waist and pulling her close, their lips coming together. In a matter of seconds, they were somehow on the bed, Toni on top of Cheryl and pressing her into the soft, red comforter.

Suddenly, Cheryl pressed upward against Toni, and managed to flip their positions. Toni felt a moan escape her own lips as Cheryl climbed on top of her. “I told you,” Cheryl whispered into her ear, “that I would take care of everything today. And that includes you, TT.”

Toni whimpered as Cheryl’s hand began to drag down between her breasts, the other reaching around Toni’s back to undo her bra clasp. In a matter of seconds, Toni’s bra was gone, and Cheryl’s lips were on her nipples. Her hand found its way between Toni’s thighs, over her underwear, and Toni groaned. She reached her own hand down, and pressed it atop Cheryl’s, pushing her girlfriend’s hand harder against her center.

Cheryl immediately flipped her hand and grabbed Toni’s, away from her body and pinning both of her hands up by her head. “Don’t worry, Toni, I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”

Toni could barely hold herself together as Cheryl trailed her lips back down Toni’s body, undoubtedly leaving lipstick smudges there. When she reached Toni’s panties, she made quick work of removing them. “God, Cher,” Toni moaned, “just fuck me. _Please_.” She looked down at Cheryl, who was biting on her lower lip, looking up at her.

“Since you asked so nicely…” Cheryl joked, trailing off. She finally brought her lips to Toni’s center, and Toni gasped loudly at the sudden sensation.

Toni got completely lost in the feeling of her girlfriend eating her out. She tangled her hands into Cheryl’s perfectly curled red hair, her thighs wrapping around Cheryl’s head as she got close. Toni’s entire body tensed as she was hit with her orgasm in a huge wave, and then she finally fell limp into the sheets of the bed.

Cheryl carefully pulled away from her center, staring down at Toni, who was trying to catch her breath.

She felt kisses being pressed on her thighs and her hips, definitely some near her tattoo, and then Cheryl’s lips were suddenly on her own. Toni kissed her back deeply, tasting herself on Cheryl’s tongue.

When she broke away for air, Toni murmured, “Damn, Cheryl.”

“Happy prom,” Cheryl said with a small smile.

Toni bit down on her lip. “God, Cher. You’re… fuck, I can’t even form words right.” Cheryl grinned. “You’re just… I don’t know—fucking sensational.”

“That was a big word, I’m impressed,” Cheryl teased, bringing her lips back to Toni’s in a sweet kiss.

“Yeah, you’re gonna have to give me a little bit before I can return the favor,” Toni said with a chuckle.

Cheryl grinned. “No rush. We have all night, after all.” Toni smiled, curling into Cheryl as her breathing finally started to slow again.

Yeah, prom night was definitely a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww prom <3  
> The next two chapters are wrapping up this story! Chapter 21 is going to be short (oop) but chapter 22 is normal length. You can blame that on the fact that I refuse to end a story on 21 chapters. I'm still appalled at myself for ending Crisp Trepidations after 13 chapters - THAT will NEVER happen again lmfao! (I don't like odd numbers... but I especially despite prime numbers. I'm a nerd it's fine..)  
> Anyway! Yeah I so the chapters were split up kinda weird for the last two, but regardless, this story will be finished this week!  
> I won't get all sappy on you guys yet, but as usual, I want to thank you all for being here and spending part of your weekend reading this update! It never fails to make me smile when you guys read, comment, kudos, tweet at me, DM me, or whatever about my stories. <3 You guys make my heart happy!
> 
> If you want to, you can follow me on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories and keep up with me there, but if not, I will definitely see you all on Tuesday with the penultimate chapter of For You And I <3


	21. (maybe) you're ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl addresses the Serpents at a Serpent meeting, which Toni isn't too sure about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good afternoon, lovelies!  
> Decided to update pretty early today! My apologies for the chapter being so short <3 I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!
> 
> Enjoy!xx

The morning after prom wasn’t filled with nearly as many sleepy morning kisses as Toni would’ve liked—instead, Cheryl roped her into helping clean up Thistlehouse, and making sure that everyone, other than their friends, had cleared out the previous night. Still, Toni had had a great night at prom, and she was happy to help her girlfriend clean up after such a nice night.

They ended up catching a ride with Archie back to the Pembrooke—where Veronica lived and where Cheryl’s car was from the previous day. Then, Cheryl drove the two of them back toward Sunnyside.

Toni thought through the rest of the weekend and remembered that there was a Serpent meeting in the early afternoon later that day. She looked at her girlfriend, whose eyes were on the road, and said, “Oh, by the way, I have to go to the Wyrm in a little while. There’s a Serpent meeting.”

“Oh—I know,” Cheryl said, surprising Toni even more when she continued, “actually, I’m going to be there too.”

Toni lifted an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I was talking to FP about the donation drive, and he said I could come by to talk about it.”

Toni took in a breath, frowning a little. She imagined her girlfriend—a well known figure from a very disliked Northside family—showing up at a Serpent meeting to advertise a drive to collect donations to help them, and she was immediately worried. “Have you thought that through?” Toni asked her slowly. “You know there’s a lot of Serpents who will gladly accepted the help, and there’s a lot of Serpents who are too proud to take anything that they didn’t earn.”

“I know,” Cheryl assured her girlfriend with a firm nod. “After the meeting, I’m going to go around town and empty the donation bins and see what we’re working with, then FP is going to help me set up a pick-up sort of area behind the Wyrm. We’ll have one Serpent working it at a time, FP said he’d get someone well respected who everyone likes. That way, there’s only one other person there when people come and pick stuff up, and there’s no shame associated with it.”

Toni still wasn’t sure that Cheryl should be the one delivering the news. “And you really wanna be the one to tell all of them about it?”

Cheryl lifted an eyebrow as she glanced at Toni, who felt like she was in trouble all of the sudden. “Why? You don’t think I should?”

“Just… you don’t necessarily have the best reputation with some of the older Serpents. Your family has done a lot to hurt the Southside… in the past.”

“I know,” Cheryl said, “but don’t you think I could earn a slightly better reputation? I’m not like my parents. I want people to see that.”

Toni nodded slowly, trying to pick her words carefully. “I’m not going to say you shouldn’t do it. You should do whatever you want. I’m just saying that you should be careful.”

“I will be,” Cheryl promised. “Plus, you and Sweets and Fangs have my back, right? And Jughead and FP. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Toni agreed, nodding and keeping quiet for the rest of the drive. She didn’t want to discourage her girlfriend, especially because she seemed pretty set on this, but Toni was just confused as to why Cheryl cared so much to be front and center. Plus, she really wanted to keep her girlfriend safe, and she was worried about older Serpents allowing their judgments to come first.

When they got back to the trailer, both of them showered and changing out of their post-prom night clothes. Cheryl seemed to get a little nervous and redid her makeup. It was close to time to leave when Toni was finishing up in the bathroom, and when she walked out into the main area of the trailer, she saw Sweet Pea waiting with Cheryl, who was wearing tight jeans and her favorite leather jacket—which Toni loved on her. “Hey Sweets. You ready to go?”

“Yep. Where’s Fangs at?”

“No idea, he wasn’t here when we got back. Maybe he had rounds this morning?” Toni quickly slipped into her room to grab her Serpent jacket, and when she came out, Cheryl was staring at her. “You okay, babe?”

“Yeah,” Cheryl answered quickly. “I’m ready to go if you two are.”

She seemed nervous, and Toni wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to do this if she didn’t want to, but she didn’t want to sound discouraging. This was really important to Cheryl, for some reason, so Toni was trying to be on board with it.

When they got to the Wyrm, Cheryl took in a deep breath, and Sweet Pea asked her, “You ready, Red?” Toni watched as her girlfriend nodded. “Don’t let them freak you out.”

Toni offered her hand to her girlfriend, and Cheryl took it thankfully. “You’ve got this, babe,” Toni promised, squeezing her hand. That seemed to relax Cheryl a little, and Toni hoped that she seemed more supportive than she felt.

When they walked into the Wyrm, it was already pretty full. Toni noticed that heads turned their way, and she squeezed Cheryl’s hand reassuringly as best as she could.

“What the hell is this Northsider doing here?” Tall Boy demanded, and Toni found her hold tightening on Cheryl—out of her own nerves, though.

“Chill out, Tall Boy,” Jughead snapped from the bar. “We asked her to be here.”

“What in the blazes for?” someone else shouted.

“Look,” FP called out to all of them, “we all know that business has been lax lately, which tends to happen in the winter. Summer is coming up, which means our job is about to get better. But we’d all be lying if we didn’t admit that we’re running short on supplies down at Sunnyside.”

“Wait,” someone interrupted, “are you saying that we’re accepting some sort of help from a _Blossom_?” FP took in a breath and looked to Toni’s girlfriend. Toni knew that it was Cheryl’s turn to speak. She forced herself to release Cheryl’s hand when the redhead pulled it away. Her heart was pounding in her chest as Cheryl took a few steps further into the building, closer to the bar.

“You’re right, I am a Blossom,” Cheryl called out, “and I know that you don’t owe me any respect. It is _my_ family, the people my family has supported in the past, who all owe you so much more than I could ever attempt to repay. You have been beaten down by the people who raised me. I know that you owe me nothing, but please, allow me to say a few things.”

No one objected, and then FP nodded to her again, and she continued.

“In the past few months, I have been fortunate enough to get a real look at the Southside—a place that I feared and hated all my life, without ever even having stepped foot in it. Since then, my eyes have opened to the beauty that is to be found here, to the hard working people who just want the best for their families. And I have realized my family’s part in ruining this side of the town.”

Toni found herself staring at her girlfriend in awe, her mouth open a little as she took in the scene in front of her. Cheryl sounded beyond confident, and Toni wondered how much she had rehearsed this speech, or if it was coming naturally. She sounded so… genuine. And Toni felt bad for ever thinking that she wasn’t.

“I cannot change what anyone on the Northside has done here, and I cannot promise that they won’t continue to hurt you. But _I_ would like to make it clear that I am _not_ a part of that, no longer. They cannot use me as their puppet—no one can. I have seen both sides of Riverdale, and one is full of hatred, the other full of support. I think you all know which is which.

“As I said, I can’t make up for the sins of my family. However, I have started a drive across the Northside to collect clothes and canned goods that may make your lives easier here, after a long winter. I understand if you would not accept them, but should you like to see what is available, later this evening a table will be set up behind the Wyrm. You are free to come up to the table, one at a time, without anyone else seeing you there, and collect what you will,” Cheryl explained.

“For today and tomorrow,” FP interrupted, “my boy and I will be manning the pickup area. No one else will find out whether or not you’ve chosen to accept these donations. If there are more to be given out during the week, I will select someone else to man the area, as necessary. Understood?”

Nods could be seen all around the bar, and Toni looked around her in shock. No one seemed to object or anything, and Toni was honestly astounded at how powerful her girlfriend was.

Cheryl nodded, seeming to realize that her part was done. She walked back toward Toni, grabbed her hand and squeezed it for a moment, and then left the Wyrm.

As soon as she was gone, it was like the floodgates opened.

“Are we supposed to believe that?” Tall Boy demanded. “She is _not_ one of us, how can we trust her _handouts_?”

“They aren’t from _her_ ,” Jughead argued, “they’re from the Northside, people who want better for this town and our stupid divides.”

“This is your fault, kid!” Brent—the guy Toni had almost punched a Felicity’s going away party—yelled at Jughead. “You show up here and think that things here are broken, but they’re not! We’re doing just fucking fine!”

“Are we?” Toni heard herself demand. “Maybe for people like you, who have been living the same way forever and don’t know any different. But _my_ generation, we want _better_ for ourselves, for all of us. Maybe you don’t remember where I came from, Brent, but let me remind you. My parents are in _prison_ because the Serpents couldn’t protect them from the things they did. Maybe if they’d gotten a few _handouts_ , some extra meals, some free clothes, maybe they wouldn’t have driven themselves to making so many horrible decisions, leaving me alone, their only legacy.”

“Toni’s right,” Vic spoke out suddenly. He wasn’t one to usually speak out loudly at meetings, so Toni felt her heart warm a little when he agreed with her. “Our children… they are the next generation. And we’re from a different time. Things are different in this world. We’ve lost so many people to the prison system, and since FP started changing some of our methods, we’re safer, less likely to end up in jail. Maybe we could benefit from being less likely to go hungry, too.”

“I just have a hard time believing that any Northsiders would do anything for us if there wasn’t anything in it for them,” one guy growled.

“Okay, look,” Jughead snapped, “I know a lot of you don’t know Cheryl, but some of us—specifically the high schoolers, obviously—we know her. And all that girl wants out of this is to help. She sees our struggle and wants to right wrongs that she was not even a part of.”

“Yeah, to some of us,” Sweet Pea spoke out, “she’s actually like family. And I know a lot of you guys don’t understand that, but it’s true.”

Toni felt her heart warm as she looked around at her friends, sticking up for her girlfriend. She felt guilt in the pit of her stomach a little for how hesitant she’d been toward this whole thing, when her friends were here supporting Cheryl wholly.

“How can a Northsider be like family?” Brent demanded.

“That Northsider has been living in Sunnyside for the last two weeks,” Toni snapped. “She’s… not what you expect, really. I thought a lot like you all a few months ago, but Cheryl Blossom is not like any other Blossom. _Trust me_.”

“Yeah, of course not, because she gets in bed with you,” one older guy sneered, from Toni’s right. Toni immediately turned and took a step toward the guy.

“Excuse me?” Toni growled.

“You’re dating a Blossom, and suddenly, we’re her vanity project.”

“Come on man,” Sweet Pea snapped, “that’s not true. And really, you shouldn’t provoke Toni about Cheryl, bad idea.”

“Everyone!” FP shouted. “This donation drive is already being done—the donations are on their way here. There’s no point in arguing about this any further. If you need any of the things, you heard where they’ll be. Now, can we move on to other matters?”

Toni turned away from the guy, crossing her arms over her chest and facing FP again. She spent the next few minutes not really paying attention, just trying to calm herself down.

When the Serpent meeting finally ended, Toni walked out of the Wyrm and took in a breath of much needed fresh air. Cheryl was nowhere to be seen, and she had no texts from the girl, so Toni panicked a little and quickly sent her girlfriend a text.

**Toni – What happened to you?**

Thankfully, she got a response in just a few seconds.

**Cheryl – Oh shit, sorry! Veronica picked me up, we just got all the stuff from the donation bins. I’m at the trailer.**

**Toni – Alright, you wanna bring the stuff here now, or should I come back there?**

**Cheryl – I’ll bring it now.**

So Toni, her friends, and FP waited around the Wyrm, and Cheryl turned up shortly after, her car full of bags of stuff.

As Cheryl got out, they started walking toward her and her car. “Congrats, Cheryl,” FP called, “that was one hell of a speech you gave.”

“Really?” she asked.

“I expected them to boo you a few sentences in,” Jughead admitted, “but they were quiet. That’s about the best a non-Serpent can expect from a group of Serpents.”

Cheryl smiled. “Well, that’s great to hear.” Toni smiled at her girlfriend too, wanting to say something but not sure what the right thing to say was.

“Did you check the bins?” Fangs asked.

“Yeah, we got a lot actually,” Cheryl answered. “And I’ll check every day this week too and bring anything else that turns up here too. They don’t get taken down until Friday.”

“Great,” FP said. “Boys, Toni, you wanna unload her car for her and bring the stuff behind the Wyrm?”

Toni nodded, along with her friends, and Cheryl unlocked her car to allow for them to start grabbing things out of it. It left Cheryl alone with FP, and Toni worried that her girlfriend would be uncomfortable waiting, but she seemed fine as Toni and the boys disappeared behind the Wyrm with the bags of things.

They made it back to the trailer not too long after that, Toni feeling grateful that she wasn’t working that night. She and Cheryl had taken their separate vehicles back to Sunnyside, so they had barely gotten a word in with each other since before the meeting. Now that they were back at the trailer—and since Fangs had gone over to Joaquin’s—it mean that they had a chance to talk. Toni really wanted her girlfriend to make sure that she knew that she supported her, but it was almost like she didn’t need to worry about that being in question, because Cheryl didn’t seem unhappy at all. Ever since they’d finished unloading her car, she’d seemed quite joyful.

“Hey, babe, can I talk to you?” Toni asked.

Cheryl looked worried for a second, as she faced the smaller girl and nodded. “Of course, TT. What’s up?”

“I just… feel sort of bad for earlier. When I was worrying about you getting up in front of the Serpents at the meeting. You really did great,” Toni told her. “And I’m sorry if I made you feel like I didn’t believe in you.”

Cheryl smiled sweetly. “Oh, don’t worry, Toni. I know why you were worried, truly. It was… just something that I felt I needed to do.”

“Mm.” Toni nodded, still unsure why that was the case, but deciding that she probably just didn’t get it. “You were really badass, actually. It was amazing.”

“Thank you,” Cheryl said with a small smile. “It sounded like when I left that people started fighting about it, though.”

Toni shrugged. “Not everyone was on board, but you had a lot of us vouching for you.”

“A lot?” Cheryl asked doubtfully.

“Well, a few people. And a lot of people who weren’t vouching for you, but also weren’t arguing. So, all in all, pretty good if you ask me.” Toni smiled. “I almost fought a guy for you.”

“Oh really?” Cheryl asked with a little chuckle, walking up to Toni and wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

“Mmhmm,” Toni hummed, biting back a grin as she brought her hands to Cheryl’s waist. “I would fight a lot of people for you, babe.”

“I know,” Cheryl whispered, her eyes looking between Toni’s as her smile faded. “You know… I never really got to thank you. For coming to Thornhill that day, when…” Cheryl lowered her gaze. “You really saved me, Toni. And I… I don’t even know how to thank you. And I know it was probably… hard for you, too, but… I haven’t been able to talk about it.”

“Baby,” Toni whispered, “it’s okay. And… you’re so welcome, but you don’t need to thank me. Seriously. I mean… the experience was beyond terrifying for everyone involved, but I know it was the worst for you. You don’t have to be sorry for not wanting to talk about it.”

Cheryl let out a slow breath and looked back up at Toni’s gaze. “You’re just… so incredible, TT. I don’t know where I would be without you.”

“I don’t want to know where I’d be without you,” Toni murmured, before pulling Cheryl closer to her and bringing their lips together in a firm kiss. No, she was perfectly happy right where she was—she didn’t want to imagine anything any differently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's the last little bit before the ending! The ending is pretty condensed compared to What A Time, but I hope you all will like it anyway! It'll be up on Thursday (I don't know for sure what time, because Thursday is my girlfriend's birthday plus I have work and 2 classes and will need to watch Riverdale lol).
> 
> I know that it's so crazy that this story is almost over! But never fear my friends <3 On Saturday, I'll be dropping a fluffy cute little one shot that I wrote while trying to come up with ideas for my next WIP. And THEN, next Monday, I'll start to post my next completed story! I'm thinking I'll stay with every other day updates for that one as well. So you'll keep having things to read from me, promise <3
> 
> I hope you all are having a good week and continue to do so <3 Thank you for being here, and I'll see you with the last chapter on Thursday!


	22. what a time for you and i

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl drops some big news on Toni, and then we wrap up this story <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends!
> 
> It's nearly spring break now, thank goodness too, because I am feeling sooooo drained oof. I have a job interview tomorrow though so I really need to get some good sleep tonight. Lmfao.  
> But anyway! Hello! The final chapter of For You And I is here! <3
> 
> It's not particularly long and there's not very much that's new in it. But I hope you all will enjoy it nonetheless <3

The week after prom got off to a weird start. At first, Toni wasn’t sure what exactly it was that was making her feel like something was different, but it didn’t take long for Toni to realize that Cheryl seemed still strangely occupied, even after prom was over, and the donation drive was wrapping up. Sure, Cheryl spent some time every day collecting the items from the bins and bringing them to the Wyrm, but even when she was at the trailer, she seemed busy—on her phone a lot, or just mentally preoccupied. Toni tried to get her girlfriend out of her head a couple of times, but she didn’t know what was on Cheryl’s mind, and any time she asked about it, she came up empty.

She didn’t want to ask any of her friends if they’d noticed, mostly because she didn’t want anyone to make any assumptions—like that something was _wrong_ between the two of them. Maybe that’s what Toni was worried about, deep down. Maybe Cheryl was so preoccupied because she was getting bored of being around Toni so much?

Toni didn’t want to let herself go there, though, so she did her best to stay busy herself. She went grocery shopping, spent time studying for upcoming final exams, and she picked up an extra shift on Wednesday so that she could stop herself from getting lost in her thoughts about Cheryl.

Honestly, though, it didn’t seem like anything was going on between the two of them—nothing bad anyway. When Cheryl wasn’t preoccupied, she had all of her attention on Toni and nothing seemed wrong.

On Thursday, Cheryl came straight back to the trailer after school. She’d told Toni that she was going to empty the donation bins for the last time on Friday, so she could come right home. Toni wasn’t sure why, but she wasn’t complaining.

When Cheryl walked into the trailer, Toni and Fangs were hanging out in the living room, and Fangs looked up immediately and said, “Oh, hey Red!”

Toni turned to look at her beautiful girlfriend as well. “Hey, babe. How was school?”

“It was good,” Cheryl answered, nodding. Fangs’ phone dinged with a text, but Toni kept her attention on her girlfriend as she fiddled a little with her bag and she started saying, “Actually, I—"

“Oh shit!” Fangs exclaimed. “FP just texted everyone. There’s going to be an initiation ceremony on Saturday.”

Toni furrowed her eyebrows, grabbing her own phone. Sure enough, a message from FP confirmed Fangs’ words. “I wonder who it is? Wouldn’t we like, have an idea already?”

“Toni—“ Cheryl started, but Toni didn’t really hear her.

“Wait,” she said quickly, “I’m going to text Sweets real quick and ask if he knows.” She stared at her phone as she started to text her best friend.

“Toni,” Cheryl said again, “could I talk to you real quick?”

Toni finally looked up at her, blinking. She noticed that Fangs was staring at Cheryl, looking like he just had a lightbulb moment. Toni nodded, realizing that her girlfriend looked a little anxious, and stood up from the couch. Confused, she followed Cheryl to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Cheryl took in a deep breath, looking down at her hands before finally meeting Toni’s eyes. “It’s me. I’m the one who’s doing initiation on Saturday.”

Toni’s jaw dropped as her heart stopped in her chest, thinking about how preoccupied Cheryl had been lately and realizing this must've been a secret she'd kept for a while. “Wait… seriously? And you didn’t tell me?”

The Northsider sucked in another breath. “Look, you have every right to be mad at me. But I have really good reasons for not telling you, I promise.”

Toni crossed her arms over her chest, frustration bubbling up inside of her. “Okay, go ahead,” she snapped, “tell me the _really good_ reasons.”

“Well, for one, I didn’t want you to think I was doing it for you. I didn’t want you to think I hadn’t thought it through and trump the idea before I could even get my feet in the water. I wanted to feel it out,” Cheryl said. Toni tightened her jaw. “I wanted to make sure that I could handle it on my own. I didn’t want to be able to become a Serpent just because I’m dating you. I wanted to do it of my own merit. I wanted to prove to everyone—and even to myself—that I could do this.”

Things were starting to make sense now. Cheryl wanting to help the Southsiders with prom. Cheryl wanting to organize a donation drive, and to be the one to announce it at the Serpent meeting. “So… this whole donation drive? It was all to win you points?”

“It’s not like that,” Cheryl snapped, the fire in her tone surprising Toni a little. “I did it to prove that I want to help the Serpents, to prove that I _care_. Of _course_ I want the Serpents to like me! But wanting to join the Serpents isn’t coming from a selfish place. I want to be a part of this family, yes… but what I want to be able to contribute too, okay? And you know that so many of the Serpents wouldn’t have thought I could ever do anything meaningful to contribute unless I proved it.”

Cheryl wasn’t wrong about that. “Okay. Valid point,” Toni admitted.

“Look, TT,” Cheryl said softly, taking a step closer to her, “you have to understand… if you were the one helping me navigate this process… people wouldn’t have taken me seriously. I would’ve looked like… the girlfriend who was just joining because of you. And I wanted _you_ and _everyone_ to know that I’m serious about this. I’m serious about wanting to be a real part of this family, about helping everyone here.”

Toni’s heart ached suddenly as Cheryl said the last part. Cheryl wanted to be part of this family—Toni’s family. But not even just because it was Toni’s. “Okay,” Toni said quietly.

“Okay?”

“Okay. I forgive you for not telling me,” Toni said, seeing her girlfriend visibly relax. “But… I have more questions.”

“Ask away.”

“If _I_ couldn’t be the one to help you navigate this, who was?”

Cheryl hesitated before she admitted, “Sweet Pea.”

“So you got my _best friend_ to keep this a secret from me too?” Toni asked in surprise.

“I’m sorry, really, Toni. Don’t be mad at him, alright?”

Toni shook her head a little, sidestepping her girlfriend and sitting on the edge of her bed. “Who else knew?”

“FP, obviously,” Cheryl answered quietly. “And I told Veronica and Betty.”

“How long have you been planning this for?” Toni asked, still connecting all the dots with her girlfriend’s strange behavior lately.

Cheryl gingerly sat next to Toni on the bed. “Since you saved me from getting taken away to conversion therapy. You were making me breakfast, and Sweet Pea, Jug, Fangs, and Joaquin called me family. I’d never felt so accepted by a group of people, and knowing how different we were, and how open they’d all been to me despite what I mean to people on the Southside… I never deserved any of that. I never deserved any of the nice things that you did for me either.”

Toni looked at her girlfriend, who looked… sad. “Cheryl…”

“It’s true, Toni. I said… horrible things about the Southside and about the Serpents, to your face, all the time. And you still helped me.” Cheryl pursed her lips for a moment, and she dropped her gaze to her lap as she continued, “And the more of the Southside I saw, the more I fell in love with all of the little things here. I finally got to feel what it’s like to have a real support system, a real family. And… maybe I am a little selfish… because I want that all the time. But of course, I’m going to do my best to pull my weight, I don’t expect—”

Toni reached out, her hand pulling Cheryl’s chin up and cutting off her words by doing so. Their eyes met. “You don’t have to explain anymore,” Toni said quietly, her heart aching strangely. “I support you, okay?”

“Really? You’re not going to try and talk me out of it?”

“No,” Toni promised, smiling a little. “I’m… maybe a little upset that you didn’t tell me earlier. But… I’ll admit, you’re saying all the right things right now.”

Cheryl chuckled, leaning into Toni, who wrapped her arm around her protectively. “I won’t keep anything else from you,” Cheryl whispered. “I’m sorry I did.”

“It’s okay,” Toni said. “So… you’re really doing this, huh?”

“I’ve had the Serpent laws memorized for almost two weeks now,” Cheryl answered, “and Hot Dog will be here in the morning, I presume.”

“And you’re ready to stick your hand in a tank with a snake in it?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

Toni stroked Cheryl’s upper arm as she considered the last part of the initiation. Her heart was in her stomach as she asked, “What about the dance?”

“I’m nervous.”

“I’d think you were going crazy if you weren’t nervous,” Toni murmured, imagining her girlfriend doing the Serpent dance on the stage. It didn’t bring her any sense of arousal or enjoyment, no, she felt dread and nausea. She recalled herself doing that, at sixteen years old… Blinking, she forced the thoughts down. She needed to support Cheryl.

“Sweet Pea tried giving me advice, but…”

“But he’s never done it,” Toni finished. But Toni had, and as much as she hated thinking about it… “Well, I can think of something that might help you.” Cheryl glanced up at her.

“What’s that?”

“Well, I can show you _my_ dance,” Toni answered, hoping that she sounded sexy instead of anxious.

Cheryl knit her eyebrows together. “You have like, a video of it?”

“No,” Toni answered softly, “but I remember it…” She stood up from the bed and faced Cheryl. “If you wanna see it, of course.” Cheryl was staring at her, unblinking. “You’re gonna just have to pretend that there’s music…”

Toni tried to focus on her girlfriend as she started to sway a little. “There’s no way you were wearing that many clothes?”

Toni smirked a little. “No.” She shrugged her Serpent jacket off and tossed it onto the bed next to Cheryl. “I was wearing a… black lingerie set.”

“How come I’ve never seen this lingerie set?” Cheryl asked.

Toni shrugged. “Maybe it makes me remember it.”

Cheryl frowned, and Toni realized that she’d given herself away. “Wait—stop, come here.” Toni obeyed, taking a step forward so that she was standing right in front of Cheryl. “I don’t want to see it, not if it’s going to give you bad memories.”

Toni sighed, looking away from her girlfriend. “I thought it would be okay since it’s just you. But maybe it was a little more traumatizing than I thought.” She laughed a little, but Cheryl stayed silent.

“My TT,” Cheryl whispered. “I’m sorry that you had to do that so young.”

“I wish no one had to do it,” Toni said, “it’s so fucked up. I don’t want you to have to do it either.”

“I know what I’m getting myself into, Toni,” Cheryl told her.

“It doesn’t matter. I still don’t want you to have to do it,” Toni insisted. She thought about Cheryl dancing in front of all of the Serpents again and resolved herself to making sure her girlfriend didn’t have to go through that. “I’m gonna talk to the guys and FP tomorrow.”

Cheryl blinked. “About the dance?”

“Yes,” Toni answered. “Maybe we can figure out a way around the rule.”

“Like what?”

“Like… maybe doing the dance in front of _one_ Serpent is enough?” Toni asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Chery frowned, not looking convinced. “You mean just in front of you?” Toni nodded. “TT… that would be amazing, but… do you think the rest of the Serpents would really accept me as one of their own if I didn’t follow through on the tradition?”

“If they didn’t, I would fuck them up,” Toni told her girlfriend, tangling her hands gently into Cheryl’s hair. “Are you going to be mad if I talk to FP about it?”

“No, of course not.”

“Okay, then I’m going to. I don’t want you to… inadvertently traumatize yourself.”

Cheryl smiled a sweet smile up at Toni. “How did I get so lucky for you to be with me?” Toni rolled her eyes.

“Oh shut up.”

Cheryl reached up to wrap her hand behind Toni’s neck and pulled her down to press their lips together in a kiss that Toni melted into. After a second, Cheryl pulled out of the kiss and said, “Seriously. Though.”

“Because,” Toni teased, “you seduced me with your hatred of the Southside.”

“You are ridiculous,” Cheryl murmured, shaking her head. She suddenly slid her shoes off of her feet and started to scoot up Toni’s bed, leaning back against the pillows.

“Fine,” Toni said, sitting on the bed near Cheryl’s feet and looking toward her. She stared at her girlfriend for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts into words. “ _Really_ , it’s because you surprised me. You were… callous and rude when I met you, but I could tell you were hurting. I wanted to help you, because I’m sucker for beautiful girls and, like I said, I could tell you weren’t doing great. At best, I expected a thank you at the end of all of… whatever was going to happen. But then, you surprised me, Cheryl. You started asking me about… _me_ … and wanting to help me with all the shit I was going through. You wanted to hear about my past and you wanted to learn about the Serpents. And _that_ was pretty much the last thing I ever would’ve expected from you.”

Cheryl nodded slowly, her eyes fixated on Toni. She seemed to have nothing to say, and Toni’s own eyes stayed locked with Cheryl’s. She felt completely captivated by her girlfriend, suddenly picturing her wearing a Serpent jacket. How hot she would look in one.

“You know,” Toni murmured, shifting a little closer to the redhead, “maybe I should’ve known that you were interested in joining the Serpents. You asked me a lot about us. You even asked Sweet Pea about the Serpents, even before you started sneaking around behind my back.”

“Well,” Cheryl said softly, “I was curious.”

Toni moved so that she was straddling Cheryl’s lap, hearing her girlfriend suck in a shaky breath. “I loved that you were curious. And I remember when you started making up excuses to talk to me… and then when you gave up on them…” Cheryl bit down on her lower lip, and Toni stared at those beautiful lips, and then looked up at her girlfriend’s eyes again. “You surprised me in so many ways, Cheryl, and any expectations I had were blown out of the water. And _that_ is _really_ how you seduced me.” Her lips spread into an easy smile, and Cheryl laughed a little, sweet laugh.

“Oh, TT…” Cheryl’s hands came to weave their fingers into Toni’s hair. Her mouth opened for a second, no sound coming out for a second, and then all of the sudden, she said, “I love you.”

Toni blinked, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she thought she could hear it in her ears. Cheryl gasped a little, as though she hadn’t meant to say the words. The surprise Toni felt was fading suddenly and being replaced by a feeling of warm joy as she realized with full gravity what Cheryl had just said to her. “I… I love you, too, Cher.”

“Really?” Cheryl asked, making Toni laugh, her eyes surely shining with happiness.

“Yes. Really. Wow, I… I wasn’t expecting you to say that first.”

“Me neither,” Cheryl admitted, blushing. “Just… you make me a better person, TT. I love who I am when I’m with you. I love spending time with you, whether it’s kissing or talking or just sitting, and I just… I love you.”

“I love you,” Toni replied, unable to contain her grin. Cheryl pulled her in for a firm kiss, Toni immediately pushing her tongue between her lips, taking control. She pressed Cheryl back into the pillows, and the girl moaned a little, wrapping her arms around Toni’s body.

They broke apart for air after a few minutes, and Cheryl murmured, “Well, this conversation went infinitely better than I’d anticipated.”

“I can still be mad,” Toni suggested teasingly, her voice quiet, “if you want.”

“No, thanks,” Cheryl answered, laughing and pulling Toni back against her. Toni couldn’t contain her joy from that point on, and she hoped that every kiss she pressed into Cheryl’s lips conveyed just how much she loved her.

* * *

The next few days were a blur.

A fantastic, but also stressful, blur.

It started on Friday morning, when Cheryl woke up Toni way too early, insisting that there was a creepy sound coming from the front door of the trailer. Toni led her girlfriend to the door to investigate it, and lo and behold, it was Hot Dog. Cheryl’s first task of initiation.

The rest of the day was spent with Toni planning her conversation with FP. She spent all of lunch at school talking Fangs and Sweet Pea’s ears off, trying to figure out if there was a loophole that could be exploited, but none of them knew the deeper Serpent traditions and laws well enough.

So Toni decided to skip her last period and head back to Sunnyside, after finding out that FP only had a couple of hours available to spend talking to her about the dance.

FP wanted to help her but wasn’t sure what he could do. He muttered something about Cheryl wanting to stretch all the rules, and Toni wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but it didn’t matter. Toni wasn’t taking no for an answer unless she had exhausted any and all options, so she made him crack out all of the original Serpent traditions, which were scrawled out in a few old pieces of paper with the original Serpent logo sketched out as well. The initiation procedures were written out on it, and the dance instructions were written plainly as: “An initiate who happens to be a woman will not be required to face her future brethren’s fists, but rather must perform a Serpent dance in front of her future brethren.”

“So,” Toni said to FP, “what does _brethren_ mean to us?”

“Well, usually it just means fellow Serpents.”

“So, I count as one of Cheryl’s future brethren.”

“Technically.”

“So _technically_ , if Cheryl just does the dance for me, then she’s done what the rule says.”

FP blew out a breath. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So she can do that instead?” Toni asked. “Come on, FP. I know you can’t just abolish this stupid rule, but you can do this right? And if anyone gets pissed… you know I’ll gladly fight them.”

“Not the best plan, but yeah, this sounds doable. And you know, you kids are going to be the ones calling the shots eventually. Maybe it’s not too far out at this rate. The Serpents I know are getting old,” FP told her, lifting an eyebrow. Toni furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if that meant FP wanted to step down soon as Serpent King. Before she could ask though, he looked at her and asked, “You really like this Blossom, huh?”

Toni blushed a little. “I sort of love her.”

“It shows,” FP told her with a shake of his head as he cracked a smile. “Yes, that works. She just needs to do it tonight, because when she’s done at the Wyrm tomorrow, she needs to be done with every part of the ritual. And you know… I really do hope that your generation is the one to abolish this rule.”

“Thanks,” Toni said with a nod and an appreciative smile, hopping up. “I’ll go let her know.”

“Alright,” FP agreed in amusement. “Have a good night, Toni.”

“I’m sure I will,” Toni said, grinning a little too wide as she left the Jones’ trailer, already picturing Cheryl’s private dance for her.

She went back to her trailer and told Cheryl the news, and then they had dinner and relaxed together—taking care of Hot Dog as well, of course.

And that evening, after Toni ensured Cheryl that she only had to as much of a dance as she was comfortable with—of course Toni would say she’d done it regardless, Cheryl did her dance for her, and Toni felt like she must’ve died and gone to heaven. Her girlfriend had bought a black lingerie set special for the dance, which included an absolutely heavenly thong that Toni couldn’t wait to tear off of her.

And that night, she definitely did just that.

The excitement and stress didn’t end there, though, because on Saturday was Cheryl’s actual initiation. Cheryl was clearly beyond nervous, skipping lunch due to her nerves, and Toni just kept trying to hype her up. At this point, Toni was fully behind the plan, and couldn’t wait to see Cheryl wearing her Serpent jacket.

Just before Cheryl was about to start the ritual at the Wyrm, Toni wrapped her arms around her girlfriend—who was looking at the incoming Serpents with anxiety written all over her face—and said, “Hey.” Cheryl looked at her nervously. “Snap out of it, babe. You’ve got this, okay?”

“Okay,” Cheryl murmured.

“I _love_ you,” Toni whispered.

“I love you, too,” Cheryl returned, looking a little brighter.

And then, not more than a few minutes later, the initiation was starting.

“Good afternoon, Serpents,” FP greeted everyone. “I’m sure you’ve all figured out why we’re here today.”

“The Northsider is joining our ranks?” someone called out.

FP nodded. “That’s right. Anyone have anything to say about it?”

“What has she done to allow this?” someone shouted. “One donation drive?”

“Fair question,” FP agreed. “How about we hear from our fellow Serpents. Who can vouch for Cheryl Blossom?”

“I can,” Toni said, drawing gazes. “She was there for me when my uncle kicked me out. She helped me make sure I was safe while I had nowhere to stay. And that was back when she barely even knew me.”

FP nodded. “Okay. Anyone else?” There was silence for a moment, and then an unexpected voice shouted from the other side of the Wyrm.

“Yeah,” he called, and Toni looked in surprise at _Cody_ , “yeah, she got Riverdale High to let us Southside kids go to prom, and she made sure the tickets were affordable.”

“She’s been really open to learning,” Sweet Pea called out. “She’s taken criticism and advice and grown from it. Most Northsiders couldn’t ever do the same.”

“Anyone else?” FP asked, glancing around the bar.

“Before Felicity left,” Fangs said, “she said that Cheryl was just like us. In need of a family after what she’s been through with her own family. And Felicity _hates_ the Northside. But even she liked Cheryl, after getting to know her.”

FP nodded. “Anyone else want to vouch for Cheryl?” No more voices spoke out. “Anyone have any more questions or objections? Speak now, Serpents.” A few people glanced around uncomfortably, like maybe they wanted someone else to say something, but no one spoke up. Cheryl seemed to relax a little. “Okay. Then we’ll begin with this initiation.”

One by one, Cheryl shouted each of the laws, and when she called out the last one, “In unity, there is strength!” the rest of the Serpents echoed it in a moment that felt so powerful every time it happened.

Next, Cheryl had to retrieve a switch blade from a glass tank with a snake in it. Toni had a hard time watching this part, but her girlfriend was incredibly nimble, and managed to retrieve the blade without a mark on her skin.

The bulk of the Serpents were not excited at the _lack_ of the final part of the initiation, but FP and Jughead managed to convince them to get over it, and then it was the final moment.

“Without further ado,” FP called, “let’s give it up for the newest addition to our ranks!”

The Wyrm broke out in applause—whether forced or genuine—and Jughead retrieved a _red_ leather jacket from behind the bar. Toni and Sweet Pea gasped at the same time, and as the jacket was slid onto Cheryl, Toni felt heat pool between her thighs. Red was definitely her girlfriend’s color, but add the Serpent emblem to the back of that jacket? Yeah, Toni couldn’t be upset about this decision at all.

* * *

“It really suits you,” Toni told Cheryl later that day, sitting on her lap on a yard chair that had been set out for the bonfire that was starting. “I’m surprised your other leather jacket wasn’t red.”

“I bought that with the _hope_ of wearing it,” Cheryl reasoned, her hand resting on Toni’s lower back, underneath Toni’s top. “This one, I bought with the _intention_ of wearing it every day. I couldn’t _not_ make it red.”

“It’s hot,” Toni admitted, running her hand along the red leather of the sleeve. “And… you look really good with the Serpent symbol on your back.”

“Just wait till it’s on my skin.”

“Where are you going to get it?” Toni wondered. She hadn’t thought much about the tattoo her girlfriend was going to be getting—she’d obviously been preoccupied by the dance and then the initiation itself.

“I was thinking maybe on my stomach, on the right side,” Cheryl answered. “What do you think?”

“I think it’ll look great there,” Toni answered, biting down on her lower lip, already picturing it. Cheryl smiled at her flirtatiously in response, and then they were being approached by all of the high school aged Serpents.

“Hey Red,” Cody said, “we wanted to say welcome to the Serpents.”

“We’re all really impressed that you went through with this,” Fangs told her. “And we know that some of the older Serpents may be hesitant to make you feel really welcome…”

“So,” Sweet Pea picked up, “don’t forget that we’ve got your back, okay? And the more you keep proving yourself to the rest of the gang, the more they’re going to accept you. Don’t forget that.”

“Thank you. All of you.” Cheryl smiled at them, and Toni grinned as well, relaxing against her girlfriend.

“Anytime,” Jughead answered Cheryl. “It’s kind of nice to have another person who goes to Riverdale High be in the Serpents.”

“When are you getting your tattoo, Red?” Joaquin asked.

“Tomorrow,” Cheryl answered. “That’s the plan, anyway.”

“Cheryl!” a voice suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone’s gazes. It was Veronica, tailed by Betty and Archie.

“Look, dude,” Fangs said, nudging Sweet Pea, “it’s your new girlfriend.”

Toni smirked as she looked at her best friend, who muttered, “Shut up, man, we hooked up _once_.”

“And you’ve been texting her nonstop lately,” Fangs added. Toni was curious to hear that—she hadn’t realized that had been happening.

Jughead looked surprised as well. “You were brave enough to ask Veronica for her number?”

“No,” Cheryl answered for him, and Toni looked at her with a raised eyebrow, “I gave his number to her.”

Fangs immediately snorted with laughter. “Dude, you’re such a wimp.”

“Hey guys!” Veronica greeted as she, Betty, and Archie finally got close enough to join the conversation. “Oh my god, your jacket, Cher!”

“Do you like it?” Cheryl asked.

“It’s so… _red_ ,” Betty said, eyes wide.

“What she means,” Veronica corrected, “is that it’s so _you_. It looks great, Cheryl. Really!”

“Thanks!”

“So I take it everything went well?” Archie asked, glancing over at Jughead and then back at Cheryl and Toni.

“Yep,” Jughead answered for her. “She got through it with flying colors.”

“And she’s the start of no more forced striptease dances in front of all of the Serpents,” Toni added. Cheryl turned her head to look at her, a smile on her face, and Toni instantly captured her red lips in a searing kiss.

"Wow, changing history,” Veronica teased. “Sounds like definite cause for celebration. Where’s the beer at?”

“I’ll show you,” Sweet Pea offered, and Fangs snickered as the two of them headed over toward the beer cooler. Betty, Archie, and Jughead also headed over to the cooler, and someone finally started some music from next to one of the trailers.

Everything felt perfect that whole night, dancing and drinking and laughing and talking with everyone who was important to her. Her family, who had taken care of her for years, and Cheryl—her girlfriend, the newest addition to her family, and the girl who had completely captured her heart.

When Cheryl curled up to Toni in her bed later that night, the Northsider burying her face into Toni’s hair, Cheryl let out a happy sigh, and murmured, “I love you.”

And Toni ran her hand through Cheryl’s fiery hair, scratching her short fingers soothingly against her scalp, and whispered back, “I love you too, Cheryl.”

Everything felt so perfect, and Toni didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky, but she wasn’t complaining by any means.

* * *

The following week, Toni went with Cheryl to Thornhill.

She wasn’t excited for this new development, but Cheryl wanted to move back into her parents’ home, and Toni couldn’t really argue. The trailer was small for three people, and she didn’t want Cheryl to feel like she didn’t have her own space. Toni knew all too well how awful that felt.

Plus, Cheryl had been thinking about asking her Nana if she could move into Thistlehouse after she turned eighteen, and Toni liked that idea—her girlfriend having a whole place to herself. So she was hoping that Cheryl went through with that one.

One thing that Toni was no longer scared about, though, was Cheryl being able to hold her own against her parents. She had never really thought that Cheryl couldn’t hold her own, but she’d been extremely protective ever since Penelope attempted to send her away. Now, though, Cheryl had a new air of confidence about her, and the speech she gave to her parents right before she revealed she’d joined the Serpents was more than enough to convince anyone not to mess with her.

It was a little over a week later that the next big news dropped in the form of an email from Southside High administration, which came while everyone was partying after their last day of school. The email announced that Southside High would be closing down _indefinitely_. The assumption was immediately made that they would all be ending up at Riverdale High, and that was enough to further brighten any day in Toni’s mind. Riverdale High brought the promise of art classes, photography club, and _Cheryl_. She couldn’t wait.

* * *

And a few months later—after the best eighteenth birthday she could’ve had, thanks to the brand new camera gifted to her by Cheryl and the complete revamping of their little hideaway behind the Wyrm that had been filled with sawdust for a couple months—Toni found herself at the happiest she’d ever been. Fully independent, earning her keep and spending her free time with all of her best friends and her girlfriend. Getting ready for her senior year at Riverdale High. Everything had slotted together, somehow, starting from the moment she had first seen Cheryl Blossom at the Wyrm. And maybe their meeting hadn’t been so profound in the moment, but now, in retrospect, it was so significant.

But Toni wasn’t getting caught up in the past, anyway. No, she was looking ahead to the rest of her life, ready to take on whatever it threw at her, Cheryl Blossom by her side. What a time they had had together, and what a time they would continue to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it!  
> I am so glad that so many people enjoyed this version of What A Time! I took so long writing it, because it kept going in and out of interest for me, I guess, and I was worried that I'd waited so long that people may not be interested anymore. But you guys really proved me wrong! So thank you for being here on this journey with me again! I am so glad that you guys liked this story!
> 
> So I'm going to post a fluffy one shot on Saturday before I leave for spring break, and on Monday I will start posting a brand new story! You can keep a look out on Twitter if you're a guest user for when I post it, remember that's @ToriWrtsStories :D
> 
> Thank you all for being here once again, I very much appreciate it <3 And now I'm off to start making my gf her birthday dinner! I hope you all have a lovely end of your week! See (at least some of) you all on Saturday when I post the fluffy one shot! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hey friends, thank you so much for being here <3 I seriously appreciate any time you've taken to read, kudos, bookmark, or comment on this story. If you'd like to engage with me more, I love to chat on Twitter @ToriWrtsStories !  
> Updates are going to be sporadic but often, I'll be sure to tweet when I'm planning to update and feel free to ask me on Twitter anytime <3 Sometimes lil reminders don't hurt :)
> 
> Again, thank you so much for being here! I hope you have a lovely day/night <3


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